Email update as Posting
So I am tired. That may lead to a less interesting update. We'll see. This was the last week of classes. Next week we get speakers, three per day, from Sunday till Tue. Most of you won't have heard of any of them, so I'll summarize: Big Important Rabbis. To be more specific, the head of Yeshiva Univ & the former Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, plus loads of other people. I expect to be blown away on a regular basis. Any time that speakers come, they make us clean. Other people pay 330 shekels to come. We have toranut (indentured servitude). So that was part of my pre & post Shabbat activities. The task is complete, and there was much rejoicing. As another result of the semester ending, there were exams. I had mine with the rosh yeshiva (head of the yeshiva), which was not nearly as scary as it might sound. I think I did well enough that he'll continue to say nice things about me. And it excited me for his class, whenever it is that I'll be taking it, most likely after the High Holidays.
Yesterday I had lunch with Marilyn, a cousin of Grandpa's. She seemed very nice, which is what I expected, what with her being related to nice people like Adi & Grandpa. Her grandson is learning here in Israel as well, but he is a bit younger than I am. I waited while Marilyn did her Shabbat shopping, we went out for pizza, and I helped her grandson buy bread & desserts for Shabbat. It was a well spent few hours, even if I decide not to apply to Chovevei Torah (which seemed the explicit reason I was pressured to meet Marilyn in the first place...Or was there some other reason?)
Shabbat I spent near the yeshiva. I prayed Friday night by the Mercaz HaRav Kook. The davening was molasses slow, and mostly free of singing. I hadn't been there in almost a year, and now I see that it has to do with more than just it being a fairly long walk for a local synagogue. But Rabbi Skinner, who I was eating dinner with goes there & thus I did as well. It really wasn't so bad, but I doubt I'll be going again any time soon. Dinner with the Skinners was actually quite nice. I was their only guest and thus put a bit on the spot. I think Rabbi Skinner really likes me, and I'm not entirely sure why. I think he'd write a glowing recommendation for me, anywhere that I would choose to go from here. So hooray for building up resources like that.
I had lunch today with some Lubavitch people in a nearby neighborhood. The husband teaches in a school in Brooklyn for a lot of the year, so I hadn't met him before, even though I've been there a few times already. So that was nice, and followed by a long shabbat shluf (nap). I'm hoping my exhaustion over Shabbat is not an indication of things to come. I'd hate to miss lectures to sleep. Especially since the day has been shortened so much, from ending at 10 to ending at 4. I think (hope) they'll still feed us all the meals. Of course, Thursday is Tisha B'av (a big fast day), so not all that many meals that day.
In other news, I'll be leaving for the States in a week plus 7 hours. So see some of you then.
Yesterday I had lunch with Marilyn, a cousin of Grandpa's. She seemed very nice, which is what I expected, what with her being related to nice people like Adi & Grandpa. Her grandson is learning here in Israel as well, but he is a bit younger than I am. I waited while Marilyn did her Shabbat shopping, we went out for pizza, and I helped her grandson buy bread & desserts for Shabbat. It was a well spent few hours, even if I decide not to apply to Chovevei Torah (which seemed the explicit reason I was pressured to meet Marilyn in the first place...Or was there some other reason?)
Shabbat I spent near the yeshiva. I prayed Friday night by the Mercaz HaRav Kook. The davening was molasses slow, and mostly free of singing. I hadn't been there in almost a year, and now I see that it has to do with more than just it being a fairly long walk for a local synagogue. But Rabbi Skinner, who I was eating dinner with goes there & thus I did as well. It really wasn't so bad, but I doubt I'll be going again any time soon. Dinner with the Skinners was actually quite nice. I was their only guest and thus put a bit on the spot. I think Rabbi Skinner really likes me, and I'm not entirely sure why. I think he'd write a glowing recommendation for me, anywhere that I would choose to go from here. So hooray for building up resources like that.
I had lunch today with some Lubavitch people in a nearby neighborhood. The husband teaches in a school in Brooklyn for a lot of the year, so I hadn't met him before, even though I've been there a few times already. So that was nice, and followed by a long shabbat shluf (nap). I'm hoping my exhaustion over Shabbat is not an indication of things to come. I'd hate to miss lectures to sleep. Especially since the day has been shortened so much, from ending at 10 to ending at 4. I think (hope) they'll still feed us all the meals. Of course, Thursday is Tisha B'av (a big fast day), so not all that many meals that day.
In other news, I'll be leaving for the States in a week plus 7 hours. So see some of you then.