The day ended with a havdalah service, beautiful of course, which ended Shabbat and welcomed in the beginning of the next week. I'm sure I could say every part of the day was my favorite part of the day, but nothing beats havdalah (except for hummus - which will reiterate for emphasis later)
Today was our first Shabbat in Israel! Following breakfast, we spent a few hours together as a group reading the Torah portion for the week. It was a great way to kick off Shabbat as a group!
We could not be experiencing Israel more authentically. We have enjoyed the pinnacle of each city we have been in. We went from a night celebrating our youth, energy, and 2016 in Tel Aviv to observing Shabbat in the cradle of holiness, Jerusalem. The word that comes to mind correctly or not is "Bashert" or destiny.
Shabbat was a much needed day of rest for everybody on the trip. In the morning, we learned about the history of Kibbutz Shomrat and received a tour around the area. After, most of the people on the trip spent their free time at the local pool for swimming and sunbathing.