Friday I spent all day shopping and cooking for Shabbat. As sunset neared and I wasn't finished cooking nor had I showered and changed yet, I got that frantic look that I have seen every Friday afternoon in my aunt's house as Shabbat approaches and no one is ready. I loved that feeling of rushing around cooking and cleaning and showering and changing and racing with the clock to finish before Shabbat started so I could get to services in time. All the craziness made Shabbat feel even more worth it. Because the second you step into shul and Shabbat begins a sense of calm falls over you knowing you have no real obligations or work for the next 25 hours. There is something to be said for this tradition of crazy mayhem that observant Jews go through every week. Walking into Kabbalat Shabbat services, all clean and dressed up, this feeling of tranquility settles in that is made all the more sweeter by the extra work you had just put in to get ready for Shabbat.
My friends and I walked over to Shira Chadasha. I went there once for a Saturday morning service during my Schechter 8th grade Israel trip and have always said that was the best service I had ever been to. It is rare to be able to say that something is even better than I remember it, but leaving services the other night I was able to say just that. The members are of predominantly Anglo descent (that is to say that everyone around me spoke English), and there was equal representation of all ages from babies all the way to their grandmothers. There was a fairly even mix of women with covered heads and not. The gauzy, semi see through mechitzah split the room evenly down the middle (usually in these cases the men's section is significantly larger than the female's). We arrived 5 minutes into Kabbalat Shabbat and already the room was so full we weren't able to find seats together. But the uniqueness of this congregation goes beyond merely the make up of the room. I have never before participated in a service with so much neshama or ruach. Every prayer that was sung came straight from the heart. The tunes, many of which I was already familiar with, were made all the more beautiful because EVERYONE was singing. (One of the biggest disappointments for me in Orthodox services is how reluctant women are to pray and sing out loud.) The natural harmonizing and enthusiasm with which they approached each prayer was uplifting. It is absolutely beautiful.
Next up: dinner. The thing with our apartment is that our dining room table is this small round nothing, not big enough for all of us to fit around. So when we do have apartment meals we end up spreading out a blanket on our porch and basically having a picnic. Shabbat meal was very nice. Now that we are no longer in middle-of-nowhere desert our options on places to go for food have expanded exponentially. The most important result of this being that we have found a bakery that makes the most wonderful challot I have found this year (remind me very much of the ones we get back at home, just a little less cakey). I had made shnitzel, ground meat, stir fry, and rice. Two other roommates had made roast potatoes and a salad. Oh...and the day before I had made apple pie for dessert. Suffice to say that we had enough food for leftovers for Saturday lunch and then some. The rest of the night was spent in a leisurely manner with some singing, card playing and reading.
Saturday morning and afternoon was spent lounging around in typical Shabbat like fashion. Late afternoon, Ilana and I headed out for a walk with our goal being to go to the Kotel in time for havdallah. Walking directly and with purpose one can get from Beit Ar-El (the Year Course campus where I live) to the Kotel in under an hour. We took our time, stopping in Gan Hapa'amon (Liberty Bell Park) and taking a few extra detours, arriving at the Kotel 2 hours after we left and right in time for Maariv.
I have been to the Kotel many times (though this was the first time so far on Year Course). A few things that made this trip unique:
- There's something very special about walking to the Kotel and not just taking a bus to the Yaffo Gate. The other time that I had done something similar (on Machon) it had been spectacular but had been part of the program. This was a trip I took with a friend on our own initiative.
- I had never seen the Kotel more empty. I had no trouble getting right up to the wall and even got to daven all of Maariv without interruption.
- At one point while at the wall I was sandwiched between a young Orthodox woman on my right and an old Indian Christian woman on my left. I thought that was seriously cool.
- During my visit, a woman was lying prone on the ground. I had initially assumed she was praying and was just extremely emotional. Soon though, women started crowding around trying to ascertain her condition by shaking her, splashing water on her face etc. Within minutes a few of the police/soldiers on patrol are there calling מד"א (Magen David Adom), a man has jumped right over the mechitza, another comes through the more conventional entrance. Somehow it seemed word had spread and every person with medical training was coming to lend assistance. Less than 15 minutes after the incident began the ambulance had come and gone. Shabbat had only been over in those last 5 minutes. This is one of the most clear examples of how Judaism values health and life above all else.
It was a wonderful Shabbat here in Yerushalayim and I can only hope there will be many more to come.
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