Shabbat in Jerusalem
Here in the eternal, undivided capital of Israel, our group just observed our first Shabbat together. Yesterday evening, we each participated in one of three Kabbalat Shabbat (Receiving Shabbat) options --- a "tradition" service, a more spiritual/alternative service, and a text study.
We learned about this week's Torah portion, Korach, where there are rebellions against G-d and Moses. Some of the newly freed Hebrew slaves had already lost faith that G-d would keep his promise to take them to a land flowing with milk and honey. This angers G-d, and it is only the interference of Moses which keeps G-d from giving up on the Jewish people.
Earlier in the day, we learned about the Holocaust at Yad Vashem, including some survivors who lost their faith in G-d after what they had experienced. We met with a survivor for an hour to hear her story, and then took a tour of the emotional museum. Personal artifacts and testimonials were used to tell the story of the Shoah, or Holocaust.
After this difficult but essential experience, we went to downtown Jerusalem to see how people prepare for Shabbat. We shopped and ate at the famous Machne Yehuda market, packed with hundreds of Jews getting ready for Shabbat.
Yesterday and today, we also had some serious group conversations about our Jewish identity, Israeli politics, and other relevant issues. It was particularly interesting to hear from the Israelis about their experiences and impressions, and to see where we differed.
Tonight we will drive down to Masada, the ancient fortress where the last remaining Jews held out against the Romans. We will be waking up at 3:30am to hike the mountain in time for sunrise over the Dead Sea.
We're all looking forward to the second half of our trip, including the desert and Tel Aviv. We've been blessed with an incredible staff -- Yossi, our precious guide; Matt and Annette, our mentors and helpers; Natti the Indian-Israeli medic/guard, and Avi the irrepressible bus driver.
Shavua Tov (Have a good week) from Jerusalem!!!
