Tzfat Reflection

It's amazing how much music has played a part of this trip. From singing on the bus, to jumping around in airports we are always enjoying the music of the land. One of the places we experienced it was in the city of Tzfat.The city is such an artistic community. The home of Kabbalat Shabbat, the streets are full of music and art. Every nook and cranny is filled with culture. We started with the narrowest stairwell ever. At least the smallest I've ever been on. Yossi told us the story of an elderly woman who would climb the stairs every day and and sit at the top. When the locals would ask her who she was waiting for she would say the Messiah. She even started to bring tea for two just in case today was the day he came. After a brief interaction with a group of small boys on the steps of an Orthodox day school, we went to one of the local Sephardic Synagogues, Abu Hav. The art is amazing in the older synagogues. The history behind this one is so full and ancient, and yet it is still so alive. Even as we sat there and chatted they were preparing for a Bar Mitzvah. The whole city was like that. A mix of ancient culture and history and new vibrant life. It's a perfect representation of Judaism itself. After some shopping in one of the Alley ways we followed Yossi to a small courtyard in the city. There we experienced some of the most beautiful music of the trip. Not that half the bus belting out random Hebrew songs only half of us know isn't an amazing feat in itself. Two very kind men from a local musical group played for us. They introduced us to the ancient instruments of the land, many of which were the ancestors of the current instruments we use today. The rhythms and sounds were so spiritual. To hear L'cha Dodi in the city it was written, on instruments that were played so long ago was so moving. Tzfat was such an amazing place! By far one of my favorite stops. Although with so many, it's really hard to not say that. --Emily Hahnenberg