Adventures Abound

So over Succot we went to Neot Kedumin - which is a biblical botanical garden here. The different signs by the vegetation don't just say what species they are, but rather give the quote from the texts that mentioned it. So here are a bunch of pictures from that trip (the view was great) the etrogim were large and the sunset was breathtaking. We'll have to try and get back at other points during the year and see the different seasons of flowers, plants, etc.

...And the rain falls

So we are having the first thunderstorm here in Jerusalem. Not to much rain actually falling, but its exciting here as the rainy season technically started a couple of weeks ago and we need every inch we can get. And luckily I brought in our laundry from the line a couple of hours before it started (Yay me for remembering). And now it just started coming down again so hopefully we'll have a decent count at the end.

We want to hear from you

It is kind of quiet here in Israel and we'd like to hear from you. Therefore, we took the technological dive and got Skype. For some one who didn't own a cell phone before this year it's a pretty big step! Please look for us by either mine or Ilana's gmail account and hopefully we'll be able to chat soon.

Holiday Recap

So we spent Succot (yes the one were we move into a "hut" for the week) with my parents in Modiin - there we are in the succah in the pic below. It was an interesting experience - being outside of Jerusalem. A couple of interesting things to note - Modiin is really pretty - everyone has amazing gardens - palm trees, flowers, citrus trees growing all around and the garbage is hidden. It is very hilly though from ground floor to our second floor apartment was almost 40 steps and then from our apartment up to the next street was another 80 steps (hence I only made it to shul about 3 times - it was in the 80 step direction and then another hill). It was also interesting spending a holiday really Israeli style and not having all the Jerusalem hotels and therefore all the American tourists around, though there was plenty of English being spoken in Modiin. Anyway, time to run and light shabbat candles - I can hear the warning siren sounding.

You know you are in Israel when...

So we knew things would be different when we got here, from the basics such as the language and currency to the luxuries such as not having a car, etc. However, we didn't appreciate how inherent the differences would be to reflect the religious and cultural tendencies of the population. Then we bought a Brita pitcher...



...so in the states the "fancy" Brita pitchers have a digital reader on the top that lets you know how long the filter has been in use and when to put in a new filter. However, for the orthodox Jewish population it causes a slight problem with the use of the pitchers (and therefore the electrical/digital reader). But not here in Israel - here we still have the manual reader - set it to the date you put in the filter and now at that same time next month to change the filter - yes it is only a month her per a filter - quality of water is something we do miss.

Shanah Tova

We just wanted to take this time and wish everyone a Shana Tovah u'Mituka - a sweet and happy new year. May this be a year of reaching our potentials, health, happiness and peace for everyone. We know it will start of interesting for us as our "new" fruit this year is a Dragon fruit or pitaya - it pretty much looks like a magenta pink exploding artichoke, slightly reminiscent of the plant from little shop of horrors. All else is going well, we are off today to spend the day cooking and cleaning in preparation of hosting our first groups of guests in our apartment (over 14 throughout the course of the holiday and Shabbat). Therefore, the kitchen calls...until next year.

My New Best Friend

This Wednesday will mark the third week that I have been learning in Yeshiva. I am not sure exactly when the moment struck me, but it has officially set in. Yeshiva life is no longer so novel to me. In only a few weeks the schedule seems to have become rather routine. I don't mean to give the wrong impression; I am learning a lot and the atmosphere is intellectually challenging. By way of analogy, despite the fading of the new car smell the car is still awfully fun to drive. Yet when you are in the same building for 12 hours a day with the same people it doesn't take long to adjust to that environment before it can become a bit stale.

Yesterday afternoon I had an unbelievable moment with a complete stranger that completely changed my mood.

I decided to walk home in the middle of day during the break to do a few chores around the apartment. We just had the building exterminated and the kitchen needed to be cleaned pesach style. In any case, on my way home I stopped in the street because an Israeli driver was trying to completely turn his car around on a street that was far too narrow to accommodate the turn radius of the car. So I waited. After almost a minute of futility I just made up my mind to go around the car and get moving. Just as I did I felt someone slide their hand into mine. I looked down and saw an adorable girl who couldn't have been older than six years old. She asked in Hebrew, "can you please help me cross the street?" And before I could process what was happening and uttered a weak "ken" she was leading me precariously exactly where she needed to go. When we got to the curb she beamed at me and said "todah." I challenge anyone to find a greater high than that. I literally felt like a hero the rest of the day!
This girl helped me realize that in the midst of great spiritual pursuit the reality of the world around you can occasionally become quite blurred. And that can't be a positive thing. I hope that I can find this girl again so that I can tell her "todah" for helping me see this lesson.