Days Go By

b"H

Days come and days go by and with so much going on, and mostly every second filled with a new and often profound experience, I have not been finding the time to write! I am still inexperienced at this whole thing, so maybe with time I will improve...

It has been a week since the last entry - wow. A lot has happened! I'll try to avoid in depth explanations (except when I really feel it absolutely necessary - which may tend to be more often than not) and I will try to stick to summing up many of the events of the last week.

Last Tuesday was Yod-Tet (19) Kislev, which is known as the Rosh HaShana of Chassidut, especially amongst ChaBaD chassidim as it was the day the Alter Rebbe of ChaBaD, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was release from prison and was able to start freely teaching in Czarist Russia. I went in to Jerusalem to meet up with my Rav, and then to go hear his Rav lecture at a Farbrengen, also known as a chasiddic gathering where there is much Torah and much booze. Some people really like that second part! The lecture was long, but with intermittent breaks - every hour or so, where there was time to get some food and drink, or sing and dance!

Interested in what I heard that night? Well, here it is translated in English! (I was sitting behind the computer watching as this was being translated on the spot! It made understanding the concepts presented possible!) http://www.inner.org/lectures/19-Kislev-5769.php

Wait, didn't I say there was singing and dancing? Check it out! (I am having way too much fun with the rediculousness of technology!)



I just rewatched the video now that I've posted it. This was probably the tamest dancing of the whole night (this is from the first round of dancing. As the night went on, it got wilder and wilder!) I heard the whole thing is currently or is going to be on Google Video, eventually...

Anyway, that was that.

The next day there was a shiur with Rabbi Lazer Brody, whose website is actually in the margin here. It was at a breslov Yeshiva, Chut Shel Chessed, just on the outskirts of Me'ah She'arim (100 Gates) a SUPER VERY REDICULOUSLY chassidic/chareidi neibourhood in Yerushalayim. It was great! I have seen him speak a few times and it is always a pleasure!

I also saw a guy there, Eliyahu, who I met in Meron on Lag Ba'Omer when I was in Israel in the spring. I've kept seeing Eliyahu around since we first met and I was really happy that he was one of the first people I ran into in Yerushalayim - I actually saw him earlier today in Meron (I'll get to this in its time). Anyway, it is a pretty long story about how he and I met. It could take up enough space for 713298071293847 posts. (Note: number may be "slightly" exadurated.)

From there I proceeded to the Old City of Jerusalem!


I went to the heritage house, a hostel in the Old City, where I met another friend from my last time here, Shalom! It was nice seeing him again! We ended up going to a shiur that night (for those who are thinking "two shiurim in one night?" please remember I am ultimately here to learn in yeshiva. That is a day that is nothing but shiurs! :) and then I made my way down to the Kotel to say hello to an old friend!

I davened ma'ariv, the evening prayer, here and then went up to the wall, and did my own personal private little prayer. Without revealing too much, ultimately I just expressed how thankful I was to be in Israel, in Jerusalem, by the Kotel! I gave the wall a HUGE hug - literally! I reached around one of the giant stones and hugged it tight! There is something so special there, it is beyond words to describe it! Reb Shlomo Carlebach once taught "In Yerushalayim, everything looks different!" When I first got to Israel last week, I expanded it and said "In Israel, everything looks different!" When I got to Yerushalayim, I realized the total truth of his words and that "In Yerushalayim, evering [DOES] look diffferent!". That night I learned something new! "By the Kotel, everything IS different!"

The next day, I did Shacharit by the Kotel, went with Shalom to his Chavruta with a Rabbi - the Rabbi ended up inviting me for Shabbat dinner - and then I went and read a lot and then ran some errands. The primary errand - I opened an Israeli bank account! I don't know that it was totally necessary, but I felt it would be helpful in the long run!

From there I went back to my Rabbi's house where I baby sat his kids (ie. I sat there tying new tekhelet, the blue string, into another pair of tzitzit and watching "Evan Almighty"). I slept, learned a bit in the morning, and then got ready for Shabbat. I went back to the heritage house for Friday night and Saturday night!

Shabbat was amazing! Kabbalat Shabbat was at the Kotel! I ran into some old friends and more recent friends from Toronto, people whom I never would have expected to see! It was great! I found a great little Carlebach style minyan with a lot of ruach (spritual energy) and then met up with the Shalom and the Rabbi and went for dinner! It was yummm! He and his wife were great hosts. From there Shalom and I went to a chassidishe tish! It was Shabbat. I don't have any pictures, but oh, I wish I did...

...wait...hold on...

Okay, so you didn't notice me checking out youtube to find an example. This example is a bit bigger than what I was at, but just so you get an idea...



Shabbat morning I davened at the Kotel with a sephardi minyan - I believe they were Iraqi, but I'm not totally sure, and then I was invited to two kiddushes where I ate and was stuffed! Then I decided anyway to go to Rav Machlis for lunch! This is a guy who every Shabbat, for dinner and lunch hosts over a hundred people in his house! It was a very powerful experience and he some how makes every single person feel like a guest of honour! It was an unbelievable experience. After lunch I went to a local shul in the area and then went back to Rav Machlis' for Seudat Shelishit (the third Shabbat meal). There were "only" 30 people there for that one!

Motzei Shabbat (Saturday night) Shalom and I walked around Ben Yehuda street and people watched and enjoyed the random drum circles that just kinda kept sprouting up out of thin air! Watched an artist draw some amazing portraits, and shmoozed and talked Torah and just had a nice relaxing night!

Sunday morning, I davened at the Kotel and then made my way to the Jerusalem central bus station and got on a bus headed for the Holy city of Tsfat, in the North of Israel! I was there for a couple of days! I'll have to, G-d willing, get to this tomorrow! I am very tired! It is very late!

Chag Samei'ach! Have a happy and healthy Channuka filled with lots of Torah and inspiration!