Machon Shlomo - The First Few Weeks

It is hard to believe that I've been in Israel three Shabbosim already!  On the one hand, it seems like my life in Columbus is a distant past: my arrival in Israel sprung up on me and the Summer Torah Education Program (STEP) at Machon Shlomo began almost immediately upon my arrival, leaving me very little time to mentally prepare for the year ahead.  But on the other hand my life here is already off the ground running.

The STEP program has about 10 participants, a handful of whom will be staying in Israel for the year with me.  (About 30 total students are expected at Machon Shlomo for the year between 1st and 2nd year students.)  The group includes young professionals and students from across the US (plus a token British gent, a fellow auditor) with a variety of different interests and backgrounds, which makes for a great group of people to learn with and from.  It is hardly worth mentioning what I'm learning here so I'll suffice to say that overall I am enjoying the learning, particularly Talmud (the Oral Torah, essentially a huge Jewish legal code) which is the main reason I have come to Israel: to learn Talmud.  Why couldn't I do that in America, you may be wondering?  Well, I could.  Except for the small language barrier.  The Talmud is written primarily in Aramaic mixed with some biblical Hebrew.  Throughout the year I hope to pick up as much of these extinct languages as possible!  

Meanwhile, I have taken up an Ulpan class for 2.5 hours every afternoon to improve my Hebrew-speaking abilities as much as possible before the year program starts on August 26. 

Certainly the highlight of my trip so far has been Shabbos.  There is absolutely nothing like Shabbat in Israel.  I love singing, there is no better time to sing than Shabbos, and my last two Shabbatot have been filled with song.  Last week, I partook in the Kabbalat Shabbat Friday evening service at the Kotel (Western Wall).  A friend and I joined the service of an energetic youth group trip mixed with Israeli soldiers, some Chabadniks, and a few Hasidim for 90 minutes of singing and dancing.  It never ceases to amaze me how every Friday night, at the Kotel, thousands of Jews from all walks of life, from all over the world, from religious and secular backgrounds, from Orthodox or Reform households, put aside their differences and pray together, celebrate together.  I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the world this occurs.   

This past weekend, our STEP group spent Shabbat in the Old City in an apartment overlooking the Kotel with an incredible view.  Around midnight, after the Friday night meal, we joined a large group that had formed at the Kotel and began singing and dancing.  We followed this with a kumzitz (jam session) on Saturday night in Menorah Plaza, attracting many passerby to stop and quite a few to join in.  

I have yet to escape Jerusalem, but upcoming is a tiyyul (trip/hike) in the northern Golan region and hopefully an excursion to Tzfat - the city of religious Israeli artists and mystics.  Stay posted.