Boarding...

To those who still like to frequent my blog,

This is a brand new up to the minute post – finally!  I am currently sitting in Ben Gurion airport, sipping my final ice coffee (but only for 10 days) and freezing my tush off waiting for my flight to board. Some of you may know, others perhaps finding out at this moment, that I am flying back to North America for a once in a lifetime event, my beautiful and holy friend – Emily Danoff – will be getting married BH this coming Sunday! I could not be more honored to be able to share this day with her. After what will be a typically New York style whorlwind 5 days, I’ll head to Montreal and the comfort of a heated home and a car (luxuries I look forward to savouring). Unfortunately my trip is not long and after 5 days of Channukah celebrations with friends and fam I’ll be going back through NYC to Israel J

Now that I’m sure you’re grateful for the play by play of my upcoming trip I guess a short catch up is in order. Neve has been really great, I’m learning a lot of practical Judaism and some inspiring in-depth stuff as well. I can tell you how many times you have to say a prayer on the same apple if your moving around with it, what to do if your traveling and want to light channukah candles, what you can and cannot use to wash your hands before eating bread, and much much more! Although all this info is exceedingly necessary to live a Torah observant life, my soul is striving for a more meat. I’ve been stubborn by staying in my level when the Rabbis feel I should have moved up to Advanced 3 months ago. So after getting a taste of what truly gets my Jewish engine going, learning one-on-one with a tutor and helping a friend/Chevrutah (2 people learning together) – I’m figuring out how to tailor my experience at Neve so that it gives me what I need. And as per the Rabbis’ advice I will move up a level come my return to Israel – sort of.

Why sort of?  I recently found out that I was accepted as a madricha (counselor like position) on this Winter’s Jewel trip (the same Women’s learning trip I did one year ago). Its officially unofficial because I haven’t signed a contract just yet but G-d willing it soon will be. These past few months have been a bit hard for me because I am used to being busy with several different commitments. Being at NEve, I’ve really just been going to classes and familiarizing myself with every ice coffee location in the city (especially those that offer Caramel topping!). If I’m not doing more things then I can list on one hand then I feel useless and unproductive. So, being a madricha and getting into some volunteer opportunities will hopefully enhance my experience in Israel.

Today in my Chumash (bible) class we had a Siyum (a little celebration that happens when you finish a chapter, book, topic etc). As a result, each girl had to prepare a Dvar Torah (a speech, words of Torah) based on something we had touched upon in this particular section of the book of Bereishit (Genesis). I would love to share it with all of you but this blog is already long (and kinda boring I’m sorry) and my flight is boarding in…15 minutes (AHHHHHh so didn’t notice the time….reaction completely genuine if you could see my face and panicked typing fingers).

Much love to all of you and come back tomorrow for some words of Torah that I hope will provide you with insight or inspiration or simply relieve you of your boredom.

Xoxo

Dana

Ps Michal you should know that I hit up 5 Pizza shops asking for your “Tavlinim” (Israeli spices to put on Pizza). And although they all thought I was slightly bizarre or starting my own at home pizza joint, I managed to amass a small (small) collection. 

A Quick Catch Up from Cafe Net

Note: although posted now, this blog is in fact a few weeks old (new one to come shortly)

Wow has it been a long while since I last blogged! First, I was too busy with the holidays to sit down and type and then I was overwhelmed by all the stuff I had to say since so much time had elapsed. The idea of attempting to compile my thoughts was simply too daunting. So I will do my best to be concise and give a good idea of what I’ve been up to.

As of Yom Kippur we were done with classes and set to go on break for over 2 weeks. As the days got closer to Succoth all of Jerusalem was transforming, there was a vibe of excitement. Succas were being build on every street of all different shapes and sizes – I couldn’t wait to see what they would look like inside. For the first day I went to two different families: the first was an amazing American/Canadian family that took in 10 seminary girls each more last minute than then next (I was the most last minute only confirming the day before). The mom was afraid that we would have nowhere to go so she said yes to all of us. Thus, one would think that her succah would be large enough to fit us all comfortably, why else would she say yes? Alas, this righteous woman has 10 girls, herself, her husband and two of her 4 kids in a succah that should have only fit half our number. Somehow, we all fit and in the end had a wonderfully delicious meal. Hashem definitely looks after those who do for others. One cool thing they did as a couple was an innovative icebreaker where each girl introduced herself, where she was from, where she was studying, one thing about herself that everyone knows and one thing that most people don’t know. Then each would have to share her thoughts on a question asked by her husband. That night (I went a second time since then) the question was, what inspires us or interests us about Abraham (he was the Ushpizin of the first night)? I don’t quite remember what I said but one thing I’ll always think about him is that he was willing to talk about GD to the world, he wore his religion on his sleeve no matter what or who was around. This is a lesson to us all, Jewish, religious, and non-religious to own our thoughts, beliefs and thoughts, to show pride in who we are rather than censoring ourselves for the benefit of others. 

Since I could write forever I thought I’ll provide some pictures with blurbs about what I did. Since we were off for all of Succoth there was a lot of free time to do fun activities. However, I somehow only managed to do a few things.

Besides for tons of shopping I went to the biblical Zoo with my friend Alana, which was actually really cool. For each animals there was a description of their social structure, food and where they could be found. The most interesting detail though was that under this info there was always a quote from the Torah showing where this animal could be found or is mentioned in Torah.

 Penguins!!!

 Giraffes! Are Giraffes kosher? Yes indeed - you can see the cud move up and down their throat if you look closely. SO why don't we eat their meat? Well, for one its expensive but they also have such  powerful kick that it would be very dangerous to try to slaughter them.

 Elephant from Southeast Asia

 

I don't remember what these animals were but there was a tunnel to crawl into. My friend convinced me to go but in the middle someone else crawled in and thinking an animal was on the loose I totally freaked out...for all onlookers to see!

As I mentioned in my previous blog my mom has been in Israel for a while. During my break from school we decided to plan an excursion of sorts. We were supposed to wake up at 330 AM for a mini bus coming for us at 4 but neither of us could fall asleep so we basically stayed awake until it came. The first place we headed to was a sunrise hike at Massada. Unfortunately the driver was a bit tardy and the sun began to rise as we were hiking. I’ve done the hike one before and am pretty sure I BLOCKED the experience out of my memory because I do NOT remember it being that hard!! Despite the fact that the sun was pretty blistering during the climb it was incredibly beautiful and I feel so grateful that I had the opportunity to do it. The next stop was Ein Gedi – definitely my mom’s favorite. We did a water hike through a nature reserve with tons of waterfalls. My mom suddenly spontaneous and clearly very hot decided to jump into the waterfall with all her clothes on. It was really cool to see her enjoy the experience that much.  Our final spot was the Dead Sea. I was excited because it was going to only my second time going into the sea and also my first opportunity to try out my fashionable swim dress lol. Unfortunately, the tour company has some sort of deal with an Arab group that runs one of the Dead Sea beach locations. It was pretty run down and overly stuffed with people. The beach was gross and being renovated with a tractor while we were there. My mom had a panic attack over the mushy ground in the water and I was just all around exhausted and ready for bed. That was not the greatest end to our trip but the beautiful drive home definitely made up for it.

There was also a cool parade that we happened upon. It was thousands of people representing countries around the world that love Israel. I'm pretty sure they were all Christian and for those reasons love Israel but honestly we need all the loving we can get right now :)

These two pics are over the Korea group and the BRazilian delegation (the largest of them all) who were giving out pens and flags to onlookers.

So that was all that was exciting about my break and I will post a new blog soon that is genuinely up to date!

POSCTSCRIPT: I am in the central bus station in my fave café when they closed the front gate thing that comes down when a store closes. Funny thing is we were all inside! I figured they were just checking out how it works so I just kept doing what I was doing UNTIL I HEARD AN EXPLOSION!!!! Just SIMPLY! That made me jump a bit so I listened to what people were saying in the café, apparently someone lef a bag unattended so the army came to blow it up in case it was a bomb and the door to gate to the café was brought down for our own protection. Imagine this happened in Montreal?!?!? Here everyone is chilling like any regular Sunday. NBD!

The soldiers having coffee next to me were saying that it was probably some poor guy who forgot his knapsack/suitcase and now he wont have any clothes L

Greetings from Cafe Net :)

Currently I find myself sitting in my favourite internet cafe which happens to be located in the Jerusalem central bus station - yes completely on my own. I've realized how much I love spending time with myself. Not that I don't have people to hang out with, but Israel has this way of opening up every deep dark and happy parts of yourself thus necessitating time with one's self. Usually on Mondays, the only school day that we have the afternoon and evening off, I like to most around town and sometimes find myself a quaint spot to drink ice coffee (YUUUMMM) and blog o  r catch up on some online guilty pleasures :)
As many of you may know, last week was Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year. It was my first time being in Israel for any holiday other than Channukah and it was a really great experience. It was the first time I think I really ever connected to prayer to a really depth - daily or holiday. At first I was a bit tired of learning so much about Rosh Hashanah,Teshuvah (repentance) and Elul (the Jewish month) but it was all worth it in the end because I really felt like I was participating in something rather than being a passive observer.
Following the 2 full days of eating we had the Fast of Gedalia - a mini practice for Yom Kippur which I was super grateful for because I was feeling as though rolling to class was going to be my best option!
After chat I also got some really exciting news - my mom would be coming to Israel in time for Yom Kippur! I was extremely surprised only because my mom always says she wants to go to Israel but in the last 6-7 years has failed to purchase a ticket! Alas, she lands tomorrow morning (drink a lot on the plane!) and I am very much looking forward to having her hear for YK. Hopefully she'll take the next few weeks to really see the country and enjoy (possibly spoil) herself - and me too and I tag along sometimes :p
Her trip coincides nicely with my break from school so in addition to hanging out with imah I ope to take time to travel around and do some new things especially take in some of Hashem's nature with friends. I think it'll be weird not going to classes for over 2 weeks so I'm going to have to find some way to satisfy the Torah learning need which is tough for me to do alone....but at the same time is probably a good habit to learn to get into.
So, seeing as I've been sitting in Cafe Net for approximately 2 and a bit hours I should probably get on my way before the employees think I'm taking up permanent residence!
I'd like to give over some thoughts on Yom Kippur but to be honest I'm having some difficulty gathering up my wits about it. Its awe inspiring and kinda overwhelming to process the greatness of the day. Knowing that Hashem would forgive me for everything I've done and love me as much after as before is a big deal. More than a big deal its kind of unbelievable. I hope the davening goes well and that I can follow properly (even on my own). one of the ideas I like the most about YK is separating oneself from the physical world, which I find myself very much connected to, to give my soul time to be satisfied.
I've been told I'm getting a bit preachy so I'll try to give as many unscary thoughts as possible. However, I hope to wisdom to share with my 12-15 remaining dedicated readers so if you're not a far I won't be offended if you go on Facebook instead!
To those of you who are fasting have an easy and meaningful fast
May you all be inscribed in the book of life
Shana Tova :)

Dana Ayelet

Shanah Tova

Wow its been a long time! I’ve been so busy and also just haven’t had the patience to wait for the Internet. I’ll write a blog about this week maybe tomorrow or at the end of the week but for now I’ll share a bit about last week’s excitements.

Last Wednesday (September 5^th) is exactly one of those days I idealized sharing. It started off regularly with classes and such. Originally I was planning to go to the Contemporary dance class that my fried was giving at Neve but was convinced to go to a Bracha (blessing) party down the street. The reason I decided to go was to give my Yetzer HaRah (bad inclination) a kick in the tush cuz it wanted me to work out for the 4^th time that week rather than take an opportunity to learn/grow more. Thus, me, and my two friends – Rachel and Rebecca – made our way down Hakablan street to the apartment of a woman named Rachel. She was so excited to see us there right on time which meant that we were able to help her set up while she showered. We put out several varieties of snacks – this is the whole point of a bracha party, to serve different foods that fall under the categories of all the brachot (blessings). We also took the time to notice that she had a balcony….a GIANT balcony perched at the top of a mountain overlooking Jerusalem – SOOO BEAUTIFUL! I literally could have fit my apartment in that space twofold.

Back to the event – after about an hour of waiting there still weren’t that many people there and we were highly considering bouncing to bed. However, an Israeli woman began to speak and gave us a little talk about the importance of the month of Elul, giving tzedakah, prayer and saying Amen to blessings. She told us a bunch of crazy stories and before leaving offered us all Kupot (charity boxes) that we could put one shekel a day in. Rachel and I opted to do so and every morning we put in one shekel in the honour of the Rabbi who started the charity (he helps find shiduchim (matches) and make weddings for orphan Jews) and also for a list of people (each for a specific reason) that is taped near my box. Once that was over the real star of the show came in - Tovi Baron. For those of you who have heard of a bracha party or of the idea that each blessing is meant for something specific (ex: wealth, health, marriage) – it all came from her! The craziest part is that in some parts of the world these gatherings are really popular and the blessing significances are even sold in stores yet most people DONT KNOW that she is the original source. If I sat here and told you all about that night it would take an hour so I’ll just share a story (there were at least 5 others to parallel it) that may shed some light on why I was so impacted by this experience. One time when Tovi was at a simcha she was approached by an elderly woman who said that he grandson was fighting in the Lebanon War (2006) and she was sick with worry over him. She knew that Tovi had bracha parties, the merit of which had lead to many answered prayers. Without Tovi knowing, the grandmother slipped a piece of paper with her grandson’s name in her jacket pocket. A few days later Tovy was doing a program about blessings at a school with around 300 kids (I am recounting from memory so I am not positive about the numbers but it was a lot). Each child had a little bag with three different foods, each requiring a different blessing. As she was talking to them about the importance of answering Amen to other people’s blessings, she happened to put her hand in her pocket to find the note from the grandmother. It was the perfect moment so she asked all the kids if they would want to send their brachot to the soldiers in Lebanon. They were all excited and the merits of over 900 Amens were sent to that one soldier. A few days later Tovy received a call from that boy’s grandmother who was excited and nearly tearful. She recounted that her grandson had been a part of a raid in Lebanon. /he had walked into an apartment building with three terrorists inside with his gun ready to fire. The terrorists were armed and the boy tried to fire his gun but it was jammed. The three terrorists threw a grenade at him and by some miracle he flicked it back so that at the time it exploded it landed back in the home of the terrorists killing them all instantly. The grandmother thanked Tovy, for she felt that the merit of the blessings had saved her grandson’s life. This is one of several stories that she told us about (and other women who had also been to bracha parties recounted their own); even the greatest cynic would realize that coincidence was not the factor at play. Some of you may or may not know that brachot (blessings on foods) are something particularly close to my heart as I feel that it is so important to recognize where what we have comes from – GD. Its one of the ways I connect most with GD. I realized how much of an injustice I was committing by saying my brachot silently in Montreal (for fear of judgment and comments) preventing others from saying Amen or for bringing the reality of my gratitude into the world.

Rewind a few hours, on the way to the bracha party we heard really loud music, which is very uncharacteristic for late night Har Nof.  Like typical curious ladies, Rachel, Rebecca and I followed our ears to find a parade of men, women and lots of children following a chupah along the road. In front of this cupah was a van with a giant disco ball with lights and music blasting. It was a Hachnasat Sefer Torah (the welcoming of a new Torah into a shul)! The torah is treated like a bride and as such is carried underneath the chupah and danced around with great simcha (joy). It was the first one I’ve ever been too and was also Sephardi (Syrian to be specific), which meant there was some extra, spice: p

Now before I finish telling you about Wednesday let me share another reason for why this day was so meaningful for me. Earlier in the day I had a meeting with one of my teachers during which time we discussed my difficulty in seeing G-D’s presence in my world and the fact that I have issues saying my brachot out loud. She told me that if I didn’t say them out loud they didn’t count and also that saying them out loud would definitely help me see Hashem and appreciate his role in my life. I then went to Rachel and told her that if she ever saw me about to make a bracha she should remind me to say it out loud. It was only a few hours later that she suggested we go to the bracha party leaving me to choose between that and the dance class. Although at the moment I didn’t notice it, within the hour I started to feel that Hashem had specially carved this day out for me, to show me he was in control and that if I opened my eyes (as my teacher suggested) I would become aware of it. The entire day built upon itself to end off in inspiration that has carried through to this day (Sept 16^th).

On Thursday, as I was walking to do some errands, I found a baby kitten (~ 3wks old) trying to get attention from people walking by the bottom of the Neve hill. Feeling bad for it as I usually do for animals and upset by how dirty and sick it was, I decided to bring her (I’ve decided it’s a girl) into the school. We’re not allowed pets in the building so me and another girl made it a little home and I found it some food and water as well. The little kids in my building named her Gingi (as you can see from her colour) and everyday they would hang out around her or ask me how she was doing. As the days went by different girls took ownership over her, bringing her food, bathing her (she was full of flees) and make her several new homes. When I’d walk by shed come and perch herself on my foot and rub up against my leg. She was the yummiest little thing but I could tell still really sick as she stopped wanting to eat or drink. Yesterday (Sept 15), I noticed that she was meowing differently; she was really lethargic and barely breathing. I sat by her for a bit because I didn’t want her to die alone but as more kids started to come by I moved her farther so that they wouldn’t know when she died. A few hours later when I went to visit her she was gone L

I have no idea where she is, the little kids ask e everyday and I tell them that she found new friends. The truth is there is no way she was strong enough to walk away so it was probably a bird, a cat or a jackle that got hold of her.  The whole thing is really sad but as we all know life without a mommy is no way to live (love you Imah) and it was evident that we couldn’t substitute that role as humans (who really couldn’t touch her because she was sick).

Later that same day (of finding Gingi) I went with my friend Shevy to the Old City where the Aish HaTorah Yeshiva boys (the young one) were having a Kumzits at 12:30 AM by the menorah overlooking the Kotel. They had guitars, a violin and a recorder and were all singing various songs. It was really a beautiful thing to listen to and quite a site with every type of Jew from secular to Hasidic stopping by to listen and even participate.

Now I leave you on Erev Rosh Hashanah with more than a week of other details to share but definitely not enough time nor room in your minds for more.

I have loads of things to do before chag starts but I will be sure to do my best ot post this week and share some more.

Whether you are going to shul or not, whether you’re going to a Rosh Hashanah meal or shopping instead, keep this one thought in mind: These next two days of Rosh Hashanah are days of Din – Judgment. Hashem is open more than every to listen to what you have to say as he will be basing the rest of your year on who you are at that moment. However, whatever it is you connect to or believe in, do your best to be nice to others, don’t speak meaningless words about yourself or other people. Be positive and nice especially to yourself. For those of you who will be in Shul – usually women and the men sometimes like to talk and schmooze about the outfits of others or meals they are hosting. If you cant help yourself not to speak at all then take on the challenge of not speaking from when the first shofar is blown until the very last shofar sound. If you’re usually ambivalent about the holiday let the sound of the shofar open you up to the meaning of the day, to appreciate your moment in front of G-D and your ability to live up to your fullest potential at that moment because that is really all that he wants from us.

 Shanah Tova!

Have a sweet new year and may you all be inscribed in the book of life

xoxo

Dana

PS HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Imah #2 - Cindy Shmueli :)

Fillin' the Heart...

Shavuah Tov!

Its only Monday and it feels like Shabbat was so far away L

Some of the few people still reading my blog (lol) have asked why I haven’t posted in the last few days. The answer is….there are not enough hours in the day! For example, todays is Tuesday (although when I started this it was Monday) and I started class at 8:30. Class run until 12:30 and then there is lunch followed by class at 1:30. At 2:30 I have another program because I have a MASA scholarship, which means we must do 2 extra classes a week (its really 3 but I’m exempt from the ulpan classes). 3:30 was a meeting with one of the rabbis followed by a 20 minutes span of time to change for Zumba (officially the hardest workout I have ever had!!!). Dinner is at 6 then classes from 7 to 9. Are you exhausted from reading all that? Imagine how I feel!! HOWEVER, I have to admit that it is all worth it because I am learning so much! The truth is that not too many exciting things have been going on since I spend so much time in school but I do have a few things to share. First of all, I had an absolutely wonderful Shabbos with Mur in Nachlaot. I was able to bake challah which made me super happy and the start to Shabbat was made even when greater since Mur and I made dinner (she made delish chicken!)  for ourselves and for kids whose mom was sick (lucky them they got to eat the chicken too!).  The shul there is awesome, filled with people who are so completed immersed in the davening and singing that it almost feels like an otherworldly experience. I loved singing kabbalat Shabbat so it was a great place for me J

For Shabbos day we had lunch with the Rabbi of the Shul where I got to taste homemade ice cream, which was delicious. Shalosh Seudos was spent by the Rebetzin of a seminary in Nachlaot called Shirat Devorah. Obviously, at both meals I made have said at total of 6 words L

On Sunday I was walking to one of my classes when I ran into an old friend from Massad – Rebecca Enbar. It was so awesome to see a familiar face and to catch up on a load of years missed. On that note, the social situation here gets better everyday especially since I’m finding my groove with a bunch of girls who are super friendly and entertaining to be around. At the same time, I really enjoy spending time alone after classes doing errands or doing work. Its such a different experience to live your life one day at a time and not panicking over what each following day will bring. Honestly, that’s the problem with our world today! We are so busy worrying about what’s coming next and what we need to acquire to be satisfied that we don’t spend time on ourselves to be the full person Hashem put us here to be. 

Yesterday was wonderful not only because I learned some really great Torah commentary (which is one of my favorite things to do here) but because I got to spend most of it with Joelle! Before we get to that, I must share a typical Dana story: After my class called “Duties of the Heart” with Rabbi Bear I ran to put my books away and then to the cafeteria to grab lunch before doing an errand and meeting Joelle. When I got to the cafeteria it was empty except for some cleaning staff who were eating. I started to serve my self all the while thinking how bizarre it was that 10 minutes into lunch I was the only student there. Then I think “maybe there is something going on and I just don’t know about it. Hmmmm. That doesn’t make sense because usually when that happens more than one person is lost and confused”. As I gather my take out meal for the bus I realized that it was actually in the MIDDLE OF 4^TH PERIOD!!! Which means that while I was getting lunch my teacher was teaching in MY class! So I had to inconspicuously (which if you know me at al was anything but) walk in and obvi sit right in front of her 30 minutes late with my lunch L

Slightly embarrassing but I think makes for a good story.

Anyways, the rest of my day was spent hanging out with my boobah Joelle doing work and eating yummy food…really couldn’t ask for anything better! (Thanks for introducing me to Marzipan  - the paste!) Around 8 I made my way to the Shimon HaTzadik train station, my old stomping ground from JEWEL. There, I spend some time with one of my JEWEL teachers’ who was so gracious to have me so late and to spend time catching up. I don’t know how she manages to have such immense energy after work and spending time with her children but man is it inspiring and pretty infectious too. Btw she is the teacher who showed me how much I love text study and took me to buy my first shell J - More grateful than you’ll ever know.

As I said, today is Tuesday, which is probably one of my busiest days (as seen in my intro to this post). Yet, besides for tired I feel super fulfilled. That’s the incredible thing about being here, I don’t grunt about going to class or wish I could sleep all the time or go shopping; I don’t go to sleep at night feeling like I got nothing done. Instead, I feel like that place in my heart that has been waiting for its sustenance. Everyday the hole gets smaller.

Before I say goodnight, I want to share with you guys that Elul (the Jewish month that we are currently in) is all about introspection. (Btw the idea behind this message goes for any of my non-Jewish friends who might be frequenting the blog) As such, we should all take the time before Rosh Hashannah to think about 1-3 things that we need to improve on, big or small, that may fall into our relationship with others, with GD or with ourselves. Try writing it down - I'm trying it and its not easy -  it’s a scary exercise to do because as I said earlier, we’re so caught up in the physical nature of this world that we often don’t take time to figure out how we can still grow and become better people. This is not Dana being preachy because she’s in seminary (well maybe a little) but a suggestion that I think we should all take to heart because at the end of our lives (B”H until 120 years) we wont be able to take all our belongings, attachments and finances with us. Rather, we’ll hold onto our deeds and the traits that made us who were and lead us to the decisions we made.

On that note, goodnight to all of you and sweet dreams J

Xoxo

Dana

PS included in this blog was the picture from the wedding I promised (the one we went to here). As you can see from the hands around my thighs, I made a little best friend!