I want to apologize for not posting in such a long time. I have been super busy with many different things. I promise to catch you all up on what has been going on with me in the past two and a half weeks. I am just going to talk about many different points in no particular order just to give you an idea of whats up.
Chanukah in Israel.
This is my second Chanukah in Israel and it has been just like what I had the first time around. Everyone gathering to light candles throughout Jerusalem. Whether your at the supermarket, a restaurant, a store, everyone takes a few minutes and lights the Menorah and sings songs. As Nativ we all gather in our computer room that has a side room that faces the street. We all put our Menorah on the windowsill and it faces the street and lights up the street and the room. It is quite a site to see, all of the Menorah glowing bright lights for several hours and 80 people light thing together and singing songs. The one sad thing about Chanukah in Israel is that it is very hard to find good Sufganiyot/doughnuts, and it is nearly impossible to find latkes. Nonetheless, I have enjoyed my second Chanukah in Israel and I look forward to having others here in the future.
Shabbat in Yerucham
Last Shabbat, I got on the bus with the rest of my track and we headed down south to visit our new home for next semester, Yerucham. After about a two hour drive, we made it to Yerucham. It is nothing too exciting to look at compared to Jerusalem. It is a very small city of about 10,000 people, but it is a strong city. It has a lot of immigrants from India and Morrocco within the community. We met our main contact in Yerucham that will help us with our volunteering, Yoram. We spent Shabbat at the youth hostel in Yerucham and heard from several significant leaders of the city and they told us their stories for why they are in Yerucham and what they do. On Saturday afternoon, we got a walking tour of Yerucham and the streets and where the apartments that we will be living are. Their is one main street that has a pizza place,a SuperSol(supermarket),community center, a huge playground/park, and several other things. Their are no bars or restaurants like we are used to in Jerusalem. It is going to be very different then what we are used to in Jerusalem, but I am very very excited for it. Motzei Shabbat we all went to a Chanuakah concert at the community center. It was the first performance in their brand new auditorium and we definitely made the minyan. It was a lot of Moroccan and Indian Jewish music, which we didn't understand, but we throughly enjoyed. We were back in Jerusalem on Sunday early evening in time for candle lighting and our regular evening activities.
End of the Yeshiva
This coming Tuesday I finish classes at the Yeshiva for Nativ. It is a bittersweet moment because I really enjoyed my learning at the Yeshiva and I also enjoyed everyone who I learned with at the Yeshiva. It will be different next semester having to learn on my own or with someone else and not be in the class room setting. The Yeshiva was an incredible experience for me and it helped me develop the skills necessary to learn independently and be able to comprehend what I am learning.
Other stuff
Over the past two weeks I have been doing lots of work for college applications and for USY International Convention. Both of these things have been keeping me very busy and very stressed. I leave to go back to the United States in less then a week to be relived of my duties as International President of USY. It is certainly a bittersweet emotion that I have. I am not sure what it will be like when I am finish, but at this rate I won't ever be finish because of th work yet to be done. I am sure I will post my post USY feelings in the next few weeks.
Shabbat Plans
This is one of my last Shababts to be spent in Jerusalem, so I am going to try and make it count. I am probably going to Shul both times at Shira Chadasha and then eating meals at base. I am going to just relax and enjoy Shabbat in Jerusalem. Motzei Shabbat I may be getting together for dinner with a bunch of people who I went to school from kindergarten through 12th grade with that are in Israel for the year and a few that are visiting over their winter breaks from college in the US. That should be exciting assuming it ends up happening.
That is about all that has been going on in the past few weeks. I hope all is well with everyone and that you enjoy your last day of Chanukah. May this Chanukah season brighten each of our lives and bring us nothing but happiness for the future. May your glowing candles be a light for the future. And mother, turn on the menorah above the front door and think of me as you do so.
Love,
David
Friday, December 18, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Dvar Torah for Parashat Vayeshlach
I wrote this for the USY International Listserv and I would like to share it with all of you. I hope you all have an amazing and relaxing Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land!
David
Parashat Vayishlach ~ December 5th, 2009/Kislev 18, 5770
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yisachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naftalii, Gad, Asher, Yosef, and Benyamin. These are the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. But where are the women in this group? We all know that Jacob had 12 sons. But did you know that he also had a daughter?
In this week’s Parasha Vayishlach, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, goes out to visit the daughters of the land. Shechem the Hivite takes her and sleeps with her by force. He asks his father Hamor to arrange his marriage to Dinah. Meanwhile, Jacob waits until his sons come in from the field to tell them about what just happened to Dinah. Jacobs’s sons tell Hamor that it would be improper for their sister to marry anybody who is not circumcised. Hamor agrees that all the men of his community will be circumcised, the two communities will trade with one another, and they will marry into each other's families. On the third day, as the Hivite men were recovering from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi took their swords and slew all the Hivites. Jacob criticizes his son’s actions, fearing an attack on him and his people. But the brothers respond harshly to their father by saying, “shall our sister be treated like a whore?”
The story of Dinah is violent and tragic. Who is the villain of this story? At first glance it appears to be Shechem, the son of Hamor, who took Dinah and forced her to sleep with him. He is considered to be a rapist who deserved a harsh punishment. Yet Dinah’s brothers exacted a punishment far beyond what we would consider fit for the crime when they killed the entire male Hivite population. But the story could also be read differently. It could be that Dinah went willingly to Shechem's tent and was not really forced to sleep with him against her will. In that case, would Shechem really be the villain?
Just prior to the story of Dinah, Jacob brings all of his wives and his sons to greet his brother Esav. But once again Dinah is nowhere to be found. Rashi asks “But where was Dinah? Benjamin was not yet born, but Dinah should have been accounted for. Jacob put her into a chest and locked her in, so that Esau should not set eyes on her. Therefore, Jacob was punished for withholding her from his brother, because had Esav married Dinah perhaps she would cause him to improve his ways.” Jacob made a bad judgment call when it came to visiting his brother Esav. He decided what he thought would be in the best interest of his daughter Dinah. But God did not see it that way. Dinah was a good person and meant well. She just did not know the difference between right and wrong because she was never taught.
Jacob was not an ongoing presence in his daughter Dinah’s life. Could it be that the story of Dinah is a story about parenting, particularly the parenting of a daughter? Could it be that Jacob is the villain here? That Dinah went willingly to Shechem because she had not been taught by her father the difference between right and wrong? Parenting is of particular importance in the raising of children. If a child has the constant presence of a parent in her life, as an adult she will yearn for that same love and affection in a partnered relationship, and strive to provide the same commitment to others. Jacob needed to teach Dinah the fundamentals of life, but he didn’t because he wasn’t there for her. This all goes to show us the importance of a dugmah…a role model… in the life of a child. It is important for children to learn how to make choices in their lives…to know the difference between right and wrong, and to challenge their role models when they see their role models falter.
So how do we make sense out of all of this? How does all of this fit together? And what does it mean to us?
The story of Dinah tells us that each of us is responsible for his or her own actions. No matter how often someone tells you to do something or not to do something, in the end the decision lies in your own hands. At the same time it is important to remember that what we do, or don’t do, is influenced by our role models.
Think about the presence and influence you have in the lives of your family and friends – is it positive, negative, or non-existent? In every place you go, whether at school or USY, at home or just walking on the street, you can be a positive influence for others. Even without knowing it, you have the power to change someone’s life for the good. So always do your best and what you think is best, not only for you but for the benefit of others. Never give up on the opportunity to be a good dugmah. This is the lesson that Dinah’s story teaches us in her relationship, or lack of one, with her father. Dinah’s encounter with Shechem teaches Jacob about the importance of being a dugmah. And from that we learn that we also have an obligation to be a role model to others. May this Shabbat be the beginning our quest to become the future dugmaot of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.
Shabbat Shalom from the Holy Land!
David
Parashat Vayishlach ~ December 5th, 2009/Kislev 18, 5770
Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehudah, Yisachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naftalii, Gad, Asher, Yosef, and Benyamin. These are the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of the people of Israel. But where are the women in this group? We all know that Jacob had 12 sons. But did you know that he also had a daughter?
In this week’s Parasha Vayishlach, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, goes out to visit the daughters of the land. Shechem the Hivite takes her and sleeps with her by force. He asks his father Hamor to arrange his marriage to Dinah. Meanwhile, Jacob waits until his sons come in from the field to tell them about what just happened to Dinah. Jacobs’s sons tell Hamor that it would be improper for their sister to marry anybody who is not circumcised. Hamor agrees that all the men of his community will be circumcised, the two communities will trade with one another, and they will marry into each other's families. On the third day, as the Hivite men were recovering from their circumcision, Simeon and Levi took their swords and slew all the Hivites. Jacob criticizes his son’s actions, fearing an attack on him and his people. But the brothers respond harshly to their father by saying, “shall our sister be treated like a whore?”
The story of Dinah is violent and tragic. Who is the villain of this story? At first glance it appears to be Shechem, the son of Hamor, who took Dinah and forced her to sleep with him. He is considered to be a rapist who deserved a harsh punishment. Yet Dinah’s brothers exacted a punishment far beyond what we would consider fit for the crime when they killed the entire male Hivite population. But the story could also be read differently. It could be that Dinah went willingly to Shechem's tent and was not really forced to sleep with him against her will. In that case, would Shechem really be the villain?
Just prior to the story of Dinah, Jacob brings all of his wives and his sons to greet his brother Esav. But once again Dinah is nowhere to be found. Rashi asks “But where was Dinah? Benjamin was not yet born, but Dinah should have been accounted for. Jacob put her into a chest and locked her in, so that Esau should not set eyes on her. Therefore, Jacob was punished for withholding her from his brother, because had Esav married Dinah perhaps she would cause him to improve his ways.” Jacob made a bad judgment call when it came to visiting his brother Esav. He decided what he thought would be in the best interest of his daughter Dinah. But God did not see it that way. Dinah was a good person and meant well. She just did not know the difference between right and wrong because she was never taught.
Jacob was not an ongoing presence in his daughter Dinah’s life. Could it be that the story of Dinah is a story about parenting, particularly the parenting of a daughter? Could it be that Jacob is the villain here? That Dinah went willingly to Shechem because she had not been taught by her father the difference between right and wrong? Parenting is of particular importance in the raising of children. If a child has the constant presence of a parent in her life, as an adult she will yearn for that same love and affection in a partnered relationship, and strive to provide the same commitment to others. Jacob needed to teach Dinah the fundamentals of life, but he didn’t because he wasn’t there for her. This all goes to show us the importance of a dugmah…a role model… in the life of a child. It is important for children to learn how to make choices in their lives…to know the difference between right and wrong, and to challenge their role models when they see their role models falter.
So how do we make sense out of all of this? How does all of this fit together? And what does it mean to us?
The story of Dinah tells us that each of us is responsible for his or her own actions. No matter how often someone tells you to do something or not to do something, in the end the decision lies in your own hands. At the same time it is important to remember that what we do, or don’t do, is influenced by our role models.
Think about the presence and influence you have in the lives of your family and friends – is it positive, negative, or non-existent? In every place you go, whether at school or USY, at home or just walking on the street, you can be a positive influence for others. Even without knowing it, you have the power to change someone’s life for the good. So always do your best and what you think is best, not only for you but for the benefit of others. Never give up on the opportunity to be a good dugmah. This is the lesson that Dinah’s story teaches us in her relationship, or lack of one, with her father. Dinah’s encounter with Shechem teaches Jacob about the importance of being a dugmah. And from that we learn that we also have an obligation to be a role model to others. May this Shabbat be the beginning our quest to become the future dugmaot of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.
Friday, November 27, 2009
From College to Turkey and Everything in Between
I miss blogging everyday like I was when I first got to Israel, but I also realize that I don't want to blog everyday about the same thing over and over. So, this new setup I have works well enough. This week has been a great week. Classes all went well this week and we had great discussions and great learning. On Tuesday, I had a great meeting with the Director of Admissions of American Jewish University in Los Angles about college for me for next year. That night we had Erev Nativ and we previewed one of the two videos that would be shown on Thanksgiving. After that part of Erev Nativ we split up into groups and my group went and had a program that I have done many of times, including writing my own version of the program. We discussed Shirat HaSticker by Hadag Nachash. It is a song that takes different bumper stickers that you see in Israel and puts them all together to make somewhat of a controversial song about the politics in Israel.
Wednesday was a pretty regular day also with the exception of going out to a nice skewer restaurant for dinner. Wednesday night I spent a long time in the Beit Midrash of the Yeshiva working on Applications for college, which I now remember is a horrible process, but I need to just tough it out and get through it.
Thursday-Turkey Day I knew that Thanksgiving would not be a big deal in Israel because it is a strictly American festival. I also knew that Thanksgiving would be extremely different this year for me because I wasn't at Emtza Kinnus, which ironically was in Kansas City the year I wouldn't be there. It would be the first year in a long time that I would be able to get plenty of sleep, not get sick and eat pretty solid food, which is always a plus. I did just that. Thanksgiving for us on Nativ is a big deal. It is the one time of the year when Nativ all comes together for a festive meal and invites all Nativ Alumni and their respective families who are in Israel. We had lots of Nativers in the past who have made Aliyah and either live here with families, go to university, or who are in the army. It was a great site to see. We began the evening with everyone all together for a little intro ceremony in the sanctuary of the shul next door where we heard from Yossi, Nativ Director, Kol Nativ, Nativ's accapella group, and we saw a video that a few Nativers made about what we as Nativ 29 does everyday. It was a nicely made video and ceremony. After that we all headed to Beit Nativ for the meal. We were separated by track and then placed with past Nativ groups. We were in the main dining room with Nativ 1-23. Upstairs was Kibbutz and 24-28. As we walk into the dining room, there was a table with envelopes that had each of our names on it, so I grabbed mine. We all opened our envelopes and we discover letters that our families and friends had emailed to a secret account and our staff printed them out for us. For most people it was a tear fest, but I realized that I haven't had Thanksgiving dinner with my entire family in over a decade and haven't been home in 5 years for one. It was an extremely sentimental few minutes while people were reading their letters. I certainly enjoyed the letters that I received from my family. As we were all sitting down at the tables, Yitz Jacobson, the boss of the Fuschberg Center, brought out a whole turkey to carve in front of us. I went up to him and pointed to my piece, the turkey leg, and he saved it for me. I must admit two things about the dinner. 1. My father still carves the best turkey with the most precision of anyone I know and their is never any meat left on the carcass. 2. My mother still makes the best turkey I have ever eaten. With that being said, the meal wasn't horrible, it was pretty good for Beit Nativ standards. After dinner, my Nativ gathered in -3 for the big video that was put together by two Nativers that interviewed each of us asking us different questions relating to thanksgiving. It was a very well done video that was very funny at times.
After the video we had a few announcements from Yossi which included my evening plans. Thursday started an annual three week event of cultural arts events in Jerusalem. The one that caught all of our attentions was a Jazz music concert at the Davidson Center right next to the Kotel. We went and listened to some amazing Jazz music for about an hour. It was a great way to end a different yet great Thanksgiving. This morning(Friday), I woke up at 6:30am so I could skype with Emtza's Kinnus for about a half hour with a few other people from the region. It was nice to talk to the convention and advocate for Nativ. After that was done, I went back to bed and here I am now. Shabbat Plans Tonight I am going to go to shul somewhere and then I was invited out to dinner at a guy who studies at the Yeshiva every once in a while who was also a Nativ Alumni. I know his brother really well because he is a youth director in Chicago. So I am schleping a half hour to Talpiyot to go to dinner at this guy’s house which should be a nice meal. Tomorrow I will be going to shul again, but for lunch I will be going to another person from the Yeshivas who happens to be a Reb Student at AJU and a fraternity brother of my brother Corey's from WashU so that should be nice. A nice and restful Shabbat ahead of me. Shabbat Shalom
Wednesday was a pretty regular day also with the exception of going out to a nice skewer restaurant for dinner. Wednesday night I spent a long time in the Beit Midrash of the Yeshiva working on Applications for college, which I now remember is a horrible process, but I need to just tough it out and get through it.
Thursday-Turkey Day I knew that Thanksgiving would not be a big deal in Israel because it is a strictly American festival. I also knew that Thanksgiving would be extremely different this year for me because I wasn't at Emtza Kinnus, which ironically was in Kansas City the year I wouldn't be there. It would be the first year in a long time that I would be able to get plenty of sleep, not get sick and eat pretty solid food, which is always a plus. I did just that. Thanksgiving for us on Nativ is a big deal. It is the one time of the year when Nativ all comes together for a festive meal and invites all Nativ Alumni and their respective families who are in Israel. We had lots of Nativers in the past who have made Aliyah and either live here with families, go to university, or who are in the army. It was a great site to see. We began the evening with everyone all together for a little intro ceremony in the sanctuary of the shul next door where we heard from Yossi, Nativ Director, Kol Nativ, Nativ's accapella group, and we saw a video that a few Nativers made about what we as Nativ 29 does everyday. It was a nicely made video and ceremony. After that we all headed to Beit Nativ for the meal. We were separated by track and then placed with past Nativ groups. We were in the main dining room with Nativ 1-23. Upstairs was Kibbutz and 24-28. As we walk into the dining room, there was a table with envelopes that had each of our names on it, so I grabbed mine. We all opened our envelopes and we discover letters that our families and friends had emailed to a secret account and our staff printed them out for us. For most people it was a tear fest, but I realized that I haven't had Thanksgiving dinner with my entire family in over a decade and haven't been home in 5 years for one. It was an extremely sentimental few minutes while people were reading their letters. I certainly enjoyed the letters that I received from my family. As we were all sitting down at the tables, Yitz Jacobson, the boss of the Fuschberg Center, brought out a whole turkey to carve in front of us. I went up to him and pointed to my piece, the turkey leg, and he saved it for me. I must admit two things about the dinner. 1. My father still carves the best turkey with the most precision of anyone I know and their is never any meat left on the carcass. 2. My mother still makes the best turkey I have ever eaten. With that being said, the meal wasn't horrible, it was pretty good for Beit Nativ standards. After dinner, my Nativ gathered in -3 for the big video that was put together by two Nativers that interviewed each of us asking us different questions relating to thanksgiving. It was a very well done video that was very funny at times.
After the video we had a few announcements from Yossi which included my evening plans. Thursday started an annual three week event of cultural arts events in Jerusalem. The one that caught all of our attentions was a Jazz music concert at the Davidson Center right next to the Kotel. We went and listened to some amazing Jazz music for about an hour. It was a great way to end a different yet great Thanksgiving. This morning(Friday), I woke up at 6:30am so I could skype with Emtza's Kinnus for about a half hour with a few other people from the region. It was nice to talk to the convention and advocate for Nativ. After that was done, I went back to bed and here I am now. Shabbat Plans Tonight I am going to go to shul somewhere and then I was invited out to dinner at a guy who studies at the Yeshiva every once in a while who was also a Nativ Alumni. I know his brother really well because he is a youth director in Chicago. So I am schleping a half hour to Talpiyot to go to dinner at this guy’s house which should be a nice meal. Tomorrow I will be going to shul again, but for lunch I will be going to another person from the Yeshivas who happens to be a Reb Student at AJU and a fraternity brother of my brother Corey's from WashU so that should be nice. A nice and restful Shabbat ahead of me. Shabbat Shalom
Friday, November 20, 2009
This week was actually quite good and very different then the weeks have been in the past. Yes, I had my regular classes and regular schedule, but this week added a few different twists to my life. My dear friend Jayne, who I have been friends with for several years, came to Israel this past week for a family Bar Mitzvah with her father and grandmother. I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them and that gave me the ability to do a few things that I don't get to do very often. I had the chance of learning about a very unique hobby of Jayne's father of collecting ancient coins from the 1st and 2nd centuries. He focused on coins from the time of the Bar Kochba Revolt which was in the year 135. The coins that he had collected and invested in while he was in Israel had inscriptions with the ancient Hebrew alphabet and had very unique pictures that would signify what time period it was from. It was interesting to learn about the history of the coins and trace it back to things that I had been learning about all my life.
It was great to be able to spend time with Jayne and her father and her grandmother. I had the chance to do my favorite thing which I don't get to do in Israel, eat out at restaurants. I have to say that I truly understand and respect what my brothers had told me throughout college. If you get a chance to have a meal with someones family and they are taking you out, YOU NEVER SAY NO!!!! I had more meals this week with several families of Nativers that I was full for an entire week. Each time I went out it was to a different restaurant that I can say was extremely tasty. I now have a good idea of the best of the best in Jerusalem. If anyone ever wants to come to Israel and is looking for a place to go for a meal, just let me know and I will be more then happy to show you where to go. I thank everyone who added to my imaginary weight gain this past week and encourage others to donate to it.
I would like to share what happens when people do stupid things and how it effects a lot of people.
Last night/early this morning(Thursday/Friday, someone decided they wanted to make some toast in the toaster in the kitchen outside of my room and in the hallway. All of a sudden while I am on the phone with someone I smell a burning smell so I immediately run from my room and I see whats going on. It turns out that the person who put the toast in the toaster forgot about it and left it to burn. The smoke and the smell set off the smoke alarms and then proceeded to start the fire alarms. This fire alarm sound was unlike any that I had ever heard in my life. It was one of the most high pitched sounds I had ever heard. It kept going for quite a long time. We opened all the windows to try and air out the kitchen area and started wafting the smoke out side but the alarm kept going. Meanwhile we loose power. This was the start to a perfect evening. I immediatly ran to get the security guard at the gate outside Beit Nativ. We didn't have any of out staff in our building and I figured that the guard would know how to turn off the alarms. He is a very lazy guy and doesn't really like us so much. He took his time to get to the building while I was explaining what had happened and I explained that their was no fire. He finally turns off the alarm and wanted to know where it exactly was so I showed him. After that whole process I kept trying to get him to answer me about turning the electricity back on, but he explained to me that he wasn't able to do so and he couldn't get a hold of anyone to do it till the morning. Meanwhile, I go back to the lobby of the main building and I am greeted by two of Jerusalem's finest Police Officers. They asked what had happened and I explained it to them and they started laughing and wanted to see where it exactly was. They basically said that the person who did it wasn't so smart. It was pretty funny to see them laugh about it all. They also said that it was a good thing their was no fire. After I showed them the scene we walked back to the lobby and they told me that the fire department was on their way. I said to them that I had never seen a fire truck or firefighters in Israel before and they said it would be my lucky day. The firefighters arrived and started yelling at the Police and the guard at base because we didn't call sooner. I was saying to myself, why didn't the alarms signal them to come and why did it take both squads so long to get to base. God forbid their wasn't actually a fire because God only knows what would have happened.
The end result of this entire thing was that we lost power until early Friday morning, I got to speak all in Hebrew to the guard, police and fire department, I found out that they have a fire department and fire trucks in Israel, and most importantly, the toast that was burnt, doesn't taste so good.
What an exciting end to a great week. And just for a cautionary note, I did not burn the toast!!!!
Shabbat Plans
This Shabbat I was invited out for both meals. Friday night I will be davening at Shira Hadasha as usual and then heading to a Rabbincal student from AJU that I am in the Yeshiva was for dinner. On Shabbat morning I will be heading to Yemin Moshe for Davening and a great kiddush. I am then going to lunch with Judah to Rabbi Paul's and Nina's. I have been told that they aren't the best cooks so that is my logic in going to the best kiddush in Jerusalem before hand.
Anyways,
Shabbat Shalom
DBH
It was great to be able to spend time with Jayne and her father and her grandmother. I had the chance to do my favorite thing which I don't get to do in Israel, eat out at restaurants. I have to say that I truly understand and respect what my brothers had told me throughout college. If you get a chance to have a meal with someones family and they are taking you out, YOU NEVER SAY NO!!!! I had more meals this week with several families of Nativers that I was full for an entire week. Each time I went out it was to a different restaurant that I can say was extremely tasty. I now have a good idea of the best of the best in Jerusalem. If anyone ever wants to come to Israel and is looking for a place to go for a meal, just let me know and I will be more then happy to show you where to go. I thank everyone who added to my imaginary weight gain this past week and encourage others to donate to it.
I would like to share what happens when people do stupid things and how it effects a lot of people.
Last night/early this morning(Thursday/Friday, someone decided they wanted to make some toast in the toaster in the kitchen outside of my room and in the hallway. All of a sudden while I am on the phone with someone I smell a burning smell so I immediately run from my room and I see whats going on. It turns out that the person who put the toast in the toaster forgot about it and left it to burn. The smoke and the smell set off the smoke alarms and then proceeded to start the fire alarms. This fire alarm sound was unlike any that I had ever heard in my life. It was one of the most high pitched sounds I had ever heard. It kept going for quite a long time. We opened all the windows to try and air out the kitchen area and started wafting the smoke out side but the alarm kept going. Meanwhile we loose power. This was the start to a perfect evening. I immediatly ran to get the security guard at the gate outside Beit Nativ. We didn't have any of out staff in our building and I figured that the guard would know how to turn off the alarms. He is a very lazy guy and doesn't really like us so much. He took his time to get to the building while I was explaining what had happened and I explained that their was no fire. He finally turns off the alarm and wanted to know where it exactly was so I showed him. After that whole process I kept trying to get him to answer me about turning the electricity back on, but he explained to me that he wasn't able to do so and he couldn't get a hold of anyone to do it till the morning. Meanwhile, I go back to the lobby of the main building and I am greeted by two of Jerusalem's finest Police Officers. They asked what had happened and I explained it to them and they started laughing and wanted to see where it exactly was. They basically said that the person who did it wasn't so smart. It was pretty funny to see them laugh about it all. They also said that it was a good thing their was no fire. After I showed them the scene we walked back to the lobby and they told me that the fire department was on their way. I said to them that I had never seen a fire truck or firefighters in Israel before and they said it would be my lucky day. The firefighters arrived and started yelling at the Police and the guard at base because we didn't call sooner. I was saying to myself, why didn't the alarms signal them to come and why did it take both squads so long to get to base. God forbid their wasn't actually a fire because God only knows what would have happened.
The end result of this entire thing was that we lost power until early Friday morning, I got to speak all in Hebrew to the guard, police and fire department, I found out that they have a fire department and fire trucks in Israel, and most importantly, the toast that was burnt, doesn't taste so good.
What an exciting end to a great week. And just for a cautionary note, I did not burn the toast!!!!
Shabbat Plans
This Shabbat I was invited out for both meals. Friday night I will be davening at Shira Hadasha as usual and then heading to a Rabbincal student from AJU that I am in the Yeshiva was for dinner. On Shabbat morning I will be heading to Yemin Moshe for Davening and a great kiddush. I am then going to lunch with Judah to Rabbi Paul's and Nina's. I have been told that they aren't the best cooks so that is my logic in going to the best kiddush in Jerusalem before hand.
Anyways,
Shabbat Shalom
DBH
Friday, November 13, 2009
Daily Life...
I thought about doing something different for this blog post. Since I have been doing the same things over and over every day, I thought I would tell you all about the classes I am taking since I have not spoken about them in quite a while.
Talmud-I am learning the Tractate of Bava Kama which deals with damages to people and the compensations for them. We are learning the 8th chapter of the Tracate which is called HaHovel which deals with personal damages in five different categories; damage,pain,medical,employment,embarrassment. The part of the Gemara that we are learning deals with the concept of an eye for an eye and the technicalities of the concept. As like any study of Talmud their is constant back and forth argument about in my opinion pointless issues and specific situations. However, I am learning about the basic structure of Talmud and I am learning about the process that the Rabbis use to debate a case in the Talmud. I enjoy the class and I am excited to continue learning Talmud in the future.
Tanach with Commentators- This is probably one of my favorite classes because of the teacher. Vered is an amazing teacher who just has a passion for teaching. Her source sheets that she prepares for us each class take about 8-10 hours for her to prepare. My chevruta, Joel, and I go through them with so much care because it is an amazing way to learn. We have been learning several of the minor prophets: Amos, Hoshea, and now we are beginning Isaiah. I never really learned the prophets when I was in school, so it is a great way for me to become familiar with the prophets and learn the commentaries that go along with them.
Advanced Midrash- Reb Mordechai teaches us several intense and fascinating Midrashim on the weeks Torah Portion. We have a 5 or 6 person Chevruta where we all take turns reading and translating and help each other understand what the Midrashim are all about. It can sometimes be very difficult to understand what is going on because the text is in both Hebrew or Aramaic and they expect you know a lot more background information then we do. I enjoy this class but find it to be a struggle sometimes depending on the Midrash that we are studying.
Poskim- This is the one opportunity I have to learn with the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Shmuel. We are learning different Halachic works that deal with the Laws of Tzedakah. It is a class that is focused on the process in which Jewish Law is derived over time. We have learned texts from the 12-15th centuries and we are now getting into 20th century texts that will be able to help us interpret Jewish Law. It is incredible to sit in this class lecture because Reb Shmuel is so brilliant and is so quick to throw a new source at us to help clarify any issue at hand. It is too bad that we only meet once a week for this class.
Pirkei Avot- Their is nothing really to special about the class. We learn several Mishnahs from Pirkei Avot every class period, however the best part of the class is the teacher, Rabbi Goldfarb. He is the Director of the Yeshiva and just an all around funny guy. He is always so fascinated with anything that anyone says about the text we are learning, even if what someone says is completely irrelevant. We like to class this the Goldfarb Comedy Hour because we always leave class with a smile on our faces because of Rabbi Goldfarb. I defiantly go to the class for the Comedy Hour and not the learning.
Halacha Le'Maseh- This class focuses on the practical daily use of Halacha. It is taught by the same teacher that teaches me Talmud. I find this class to be very frustrating because of the multiple levels of knowledge in the class. It ranges from not knowing anything to knowing more then you need to know to not be in the class. I am not entirely sure why I stay in the class, but I also realize that their are plenty things that I don't know about everyday Halacha. The thing that I don't like about the class is that he just reads the text book to us and we don't practice our Hebrew or our understanding of the text. My Rabbi I studied with in High School always told me he would never teach a class like this because he said if he wanted someone to read a rule book they don't need to be taught that. I feel like this is the exact situation. I have second thoughts about this class, but I realize that since it only meets once a week for an hour and a half it really isn't worth dropping.
Contemporary Issues in Halacha- This is an all Nativ class taught by my other favorite teacher and my Nativ Yeshiva advisor, Reb Shlomo. His has the voice of god that I have spoken about several times. He takes a different topic every week and prepares a source sheet and discusses it with us. The topics range from second day Yom Tov, minor fast days, pre-marital sex,homosexuality, kosher cheese, and so on. It is a great class because it goes in-depth on issues that we face everyday. I wish that my classmates would take it more serious and play a more active roll in the discussion instead of messing around on their computers during class. The real reason I think that this class is so good is because of the amount of love that the teacher puts into the source sheets and to helping the students learn about the different topics.
Overall, I really enjoy the classes I take at the Yeshiva. I am glad that I am not taking classes at Hebrew U and not doing Ulpan because the Yeshiv is a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone like me who is passionate about Jewish education. Where else can you go everyday and sit down and learn with people who just want to learn and become more educated about your Jewish heritage and learn from some of the best teachers in the world? I am glad that I decided to be at the Yeshiva for the semester on Nativ.
For Shabbat I have no special plans. I am going to go to shul both days at Shira Chadasha and then eat Friday night dinner at Beit Nativ and Saturday lunch at Rabbi Jerry and Jane Epstein's apartment right near base. It should be a very nice, relaxing, and short Shabbat. After Shabbat, my friend Jayne, who is in Israel for a week for a family Bar Mitzvah, will be coming to Jerusalem and I will get to see her and hang out with her the night which is super exciting.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!!!
David
Talmud-I am learning the Tractate of Bava Kama which deals with damages to people and the compensations for them. We are learning the 8th chapter of the Tracate which is called HaHovel which deals with personal damages in five different categories; damage,pain,medical,employment,embarrassment. The part of the Gemara that we are learning deals with the concept of an eye for an eye and the technicalities of the concept. As like any study of Talmud their is constant back and forth argument about in my opinion pointless issues and specific situations. However, I am learning about the basic structure of Talmud and I am learning about the process that the Rabbis use to debate a case in the Talmud. I enjoy the class and I am excited to continue learning Talmud in the future.
Tanach with Commentators- This is probably one of my favorite classes because of the teacher. Vered is an amazing teacher who just has a passion for teaching. Her source sheets that she prepares for us each class take about 8-10 hours for her to prepare. My chevruta, Joel, and I go through them with so much care because it is an amazing way to learn. We have been learning several of the minor prophets: Amos, Hoshea, and now we are beginning Isaiah. I never really learned the prophets when I was in school, so it is a great way for me to become familiar with the prophets and learn the commentaries that go along with them.
Advanced Midrash- Reb Mordechai teaches us several intense and fascinating Midrashim on the weeks Torah Portion. We have a 5 or 6 person Chevruta where we all take turns reading and translating and help each other understand what the Midrashim are all about. It can sometimes be very difficult to understand what is going on because the text is in both Hebrew or Aramaic and they expect you know a lot more background information then we do. I enjoy this class but find it to be a struggle sometimes depending on the Midrash that we are studying.
Poskim- This is the one opportunity I have to learn with the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Shmuel. We are learning different Halachic works that deal with the Laws of Tzedakah. It is a class that is focused on the process in which Jewish Law is derived over time. We have learned texts from the 12-15th centuries and we are now getting into 20th century texts that will be able to help us interpret Jewish Law. It is incredible to sit in this class lecture because Reb Shmuel is so brilliant and is so quick to throw a new source at us to help clarify any issue at hand. It is too bad that we only meet once a week for this class.
Pirkei Avot- Their is nothing really to special about the class. We learn several Mishnahs from Pirkei Avot every class period, however the best part of the class is the teacher, Rabbi Goldfarb. He is the Director of the Yeshiva and just an all around funny guy. He is always so fascinated with anything that anyone says about the text we are learning, even if what someone says is completely irrelevant. We like to class this the Goldfarb Comedy Hour because we always leave class with a smile on our faces because of Rabbi Goldfarb. I defiantly go to the class for the Comedy Hour and not the learning.
Halacha Le'Maseh- This class focuses on the practical daily use of Halacha. It is taught by the same teacher that teaches me Talmud. I find this class to be very frustrating because of the multiple levels of knowledge in the class. It ranges from not knowing anything to knowing more then you need to know to not be in the class. I am not entirely sure why I stay in the class, but I also realize that their are plenty things that I don't know about everyday Halacha. The thing that I don't like about the class is that he just reads the text book to us and we don't practice our Hebrew or our understanding of the text. My Rabbi I studied with in High School always told me he would never teach a class like this because he said if he wanted someone to read a rule book they don't need to be taught that. I feel like this is the exact situation. I have second thoughts about this class, but I realize that since it only meets once a week for an hour and a half it really isn't worth dropping.
Contemporary Issues in Halacha- This is an all Nativ class taught by my other favorite teacher and my Nativ Yeshiva advisor, Reb Shlomo. His has the voice of god that I have spoken about several times. He takes a different topic every week and prepares a source sheet and discusses it with us. The topics range from second day Yom Tov, minor fast days, pre-marital sex,homosexuality, kosher cheese, and so on. It is a great class because it goes in-depth on issues that we face everyday. I wish that my classmates would take it more serious and play a more active roll in the discussion instead of messing around on their computers during class. The real reason I think that this class is so good is because of the amount of love that the teacher puts into the source sheets and to helping the students learn about the different topics.
Overall, I really enjoy the classes I take at the Yeshiva. I am glad that I am not taking classes at Hebrew U and not doing Ulpan because the Yeshiv is a once in a lifetime opportunity for someone like me who is passionate about Jewish education. Where else can you go everyday and sit down and learn with people who just want to learn and become more educated about your Jewish heritage and learn from some of the best teachers in the world? I am glad that I decided to be at the Yeshiva for the semester on Nativ.
For Shabbat I have no special plans. I am going to go to shul both days at Shira Chadasha and then eat Friday night dinner at Beit Nativ and Saturday lunch at Rabbi Jerry and Jane Epstein's apartment right near base. It should be a very nice, relaxing, and short Shabbat. After Shabbat, my friend Jayne, who is in Israel for a week for a family Bar Mitzvah, will be coming to Jerusalem and I will get to see her and hang out with her the night which is super exciting.
Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem!!!
David
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Conservative Judaism with Julesy and Rabin Memorial
I know it has been a while since I have last posted, but I promise that this post will be one full of good stuff for your enjoyment. As I have mentioned recently, the days here in Israel are getting to be very standard and nothing special happens unless their is a special occasion during the week or unless it is Shabbat. This weekend we had a special visitor who came and did sessions with all of Nativ about Conservative Judaism. Jules Gutin, who is the International Director of USY, aka my boss, came to Israel and led sessions for us about Conservative Judaism on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
These three sessions were the concluding and follow up sessions to the previous sessions we have had that were led by Rabbi Roth and Rabbi Artson. Jules took a different approach to talking about Conservative Judaism. He actually spoke about how the movement works and how it has adapted over time. I had heard him speak on this topic before but it was interesting to see the reactions that the rest of Nativ had when they heard what he had to say. It was a very informative weekend with lots of learning and discussion with Jules and an overall nice visit with him to speak about many things.
It is always interesting to listen to people talk about Judaism especially Conservative Judaism. It is interesting to hear why people consider themselves to be Conservative Jews and I can say that after we have heard from all of our speakers about Conservative Judaism my opinions haven't changed but I bet most peoples have.
After Shabbat, about 40 Nativers and myself headed to Tel Aviv for the 14th Anniversary celebration of the life of Yitzchak Rabin (z"l).Rabin was Prime Minister in two seperate occasions (1974-77 and 1992-95), he is arguably one of the most decorated politicians and generals in Israel's history.
As Prime Minister for a second term, this time in the 1990's, Rabin helped foster the Peace Process all the way through the Oslo Accords. After an event in Tel Aviv, Rabin left the stage and walked towards his security where he was shot surprisingly by Yigal Amir. Rabin was rushed to the hospital but died while in surgery.
I always remembered learning about Rabin every year in school and he was generally speaking praised by my Hebrew teachers. I was excited to be able to go and celebrate the life of a hero in the hearts of many. However, I found it slightly upsetting that the speakers who spoke at the ceremony turned this memorial of a peace seeking man into a battle of right vs. left. Politics certainly do play a large part in everything. We heard from many famous names including, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barack and President Barack Obama. President Obama actually received the greatest applause after he spoke via video recording. The evening ended with two special performances. One was by Hadag Nachash which is a famous Israeli rap group that sings a song about Israeli bumper stickers. The final perfomrance was done by Miri Aloni and she sang both Shir LeShalom and Hatikvah. Shir LaShalom was the song that Rabin was singing when he was shot and since then it has become the anthem for peace in Israel as well as the memorial song for Rabin. It was a very emotional period of the evening because everyone connects the song with Rabin and it was an amazing way to end such a important memorial ceremony.
Yitzchak Rabin z"l
May his memory be for a blessing
DBH
These three sessions were the concluding and follow up sessions to the previous sessions we have had that were led by Rabbi Roth and Rabbi Artson. Jules took a different approach to talking about Conservative Judaism. He actually spoke about how the movement works and how it has adapted over time. I had heard him speak on this topic before but it was interesting to see the reactions that the rest of Nativ had when they heard what he had to say. It was a very informative weekend with lots of learning and discussion with Jules and an overall nice visit with him to speak about many things.
It is always interesting to listen to people talk about Judaism especially Conservative Judaism. It is interesting to hear why people consider themselves to be Conservative Jews and I can say that after we have heard from all of our speakers about Conservative Judaism my opinions haven't changed but I bet most peoples have.
After Shabbat, about 40 Nativers and myself headed to Tel Aviv for the 14th Anniversary celebration of the life of Yitzchak Rabin (z"l).Rabin was Prime Minister in two seperate occasions (1974-77 and 1992-95), he is arguably one of the most decorated politicians and generals in Israel's history.
As Prime Minister for a second term, this time in the 1990's, Rabin helped foster the Peace Process all the way through the Oslo Accords. After an event in Tel Aviv, Rabin left the stage and walked towards his security where he was shot surprisingly by Yigal Amir. Rabin was rushed to the hospital but died while in surgery.
I always remembered learning about Rabin every year in school and he was generally speaking praised by my Hebrew teachers. I was excited to be able to go and celebrate the life of a hero in the hearts of many. However, I found it slightly upsetting that the speakers who spoke at the ceremony turned this memorial of a peace seeking man into a battle of right vs. left. Politics certainly do play a large part in everything. We heard from many famous names including, Tzipi Livni, Ehud Barack and President Barack Obama. President Obama actually received the greatest applause after he spoke via video recording. The evening ended with two special performances. One was by Hadag Nachash which is a famous Israeli rap group that sings a song about Israeli bumper stickers. The final perfomrance was done by Miri Aloni and she sang both Shir LeShalom and Hatikvah. Shir LaShalom was the song that Rabin was singing when he was shot and since then it has become the anthem for peace in Israel as well as the memorial song for Rabin. It was a very emotional period of the evening because everyone connects the song with Rabin and it was an amazing way to end such a important memorial ceremony.
Yitzchak Rabin z"l
May his memory be for a blessing
DBH
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Frequency of New Blog Posts
Hello Everyone
I have stumbled across a patch of repetition. The days are starting to turn into the same just different classes, different clothes, and different weather. I have decided that the frequency of my posts are going to start becoming more infrequent and potentially sporadic. I will certainly be posting before Shabbat about the week as a whole as well as including my Shabbat and weekend plans. So look forward to those.
I promise to have new things to update you with as they happen, but for now I am experiencing the same things daily.
Check back frequently for new posts and pictures.
David
I have stumbled across a patch of repetition. The days are starting to turn into the same just different classes, different clothes, and different weather. I have decided that the frequency of my posts are going to start becoming more infrequent and potentially sporadic. I will certainly be posting before Shabbat about the week as a whole as well as including my Shabbat and weekend plans. So look forward to those.
I promise to have new things to update you with as they happen, but for now I am experiencing the same things daily.
Check back frequently for new posts and pictures.
David
Friday, October 30, 2009
It's Raining Men in Jerusalem(10/27-29/09)
After a very standard week at the Yeshiva and nothing to spectacular to blog about I have decided to blog about something that has happened several times since I have been in Israel. If you notice the title of this blog post, it is dedicated to the Weather Girls and their classic song, "It's Raining Men."
Since I have been in Israel, from the beginning of September, it has rained here in Israel more then it has rained in years past. The funny thing about it all is that the rain is earlier then it usually is. Traditionally from what I have been told, Israel gets a little rain on Rosh Hashanah and doesn't see it until December/January time. However, that has certainly not been the case this year. I have seen rain from heavy downpour to lite drizzle at least 5 or 6 times. It is an absolutely incredible thing to see.
My friend Judah wrote something on his blog that I would like to share that talks about rain in Israel and its connection to Judaism. I think it is exactly what I am trying to say about that power of the rain.
In Israel, people care a lot about the rain, more so then they do in the United States. Rain is a precious thing in this country that we constantly ask for it and don't get it. However, this year I have a feeling that we will be shocked to see how much rain we will get. Last night, Thursday, we had our weekly NBA(Nativ Basketball Association, games. As we all go to Gan Hapaamon to play and we stretch out and take the court, I notice some drops coming from the sky. I say to my team, play smart its going to get wet and slippery, which it certainly did. We ended up playing basketball in a very constant and heavy rain for about an hour and a half. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Growing up and throughout high school it was a normal occurrence for it to rain while playing soccer games or at practice. But, I had never ever played basketball in the rain. It was also a tradition that after those rainy and muddy games, my mother would put me or my brothers into a giant yellow trash bag because she didn't to get her car dirty. So as I was walking home from the games, I called my mother and asked her if she would meet me at the park and to bring a giant yellow trash bag, to which she responded with laughter.
Generally speaking, I don't praise the rain or any of the natural wonders that come to us, however now that I am in a country that celebrates and enjoys rain as much as they do, I have a new found appreciation for the rain.
May we continue to see much rain in the country for the remainder of my year and continue to get wet while just merely walking down the street in the middle of the day!!!
A preview of my Shabbat plans.
I was supposed to be staying in Jerusalem and be hosted for meals, but I decided I wanted to get out of Jerusalem. I am going to Ra'anana to stay with a friend who was a staff member on the summer program I hope to be working with this summer, USY on Wheels. I am excited to get a good Shabbat in and be with good company and hopefully great food. After Shabbat, we are driving back to Jerusalem as she is going to be staying on base for a night or so. Their was supposed to be a memorial concert/gathering in Tel Aviv for Yitzchak Rabin, who was the Prime Minister of Israel who was assassinated in 1995, but due to the rain it has been postponed to next weekend. So that is what I am up to for this Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom!!!
Since I have been in Israel, from the beginning of September, it has rained here in Israel more then it has rained in years past. The funny thing about it all is that the rain is earlier then it usually is. Traditionally from what I have been told, Israel gets a little rain on Rosh Hashanah and doesn't see it until December/January time. However, that has certainly not been the case this year. I have seen rain from heavy downpour to lite drizzle at least 5 or 6 times. It is an absolutely incredible thing to see.
My friend Judah wrote something on his blog that I would like to share that talks about rain in Israel and its connection to Judaism. I think it is exactly what I am trying to say about that power of the rain.
People often talk about how neat sunrises, scenic views such as cliffs overlooking valleys, and nature inspire their praying – all of those are creations and powers of God. Likewise, we recognize at the beginning of the Amidah, when we say "mashiva ha-ruach u-morid ha-gashem," that God has great power in allowing it to rain. It was also shortly before I said the prayer "v'tein tal u-matar livracha," asking God to let it rain for the good, that it began to rain. When it rained tonight, I was praying in the midst of God's great power. Rain in Israel is a huge blessing, and I hope that the prayers of all of Israel will be a source of blessing just like the rain God provides for us.
In Israel, people care a lot about the rain, more so then they do in the United States. Rain is a precious thing in this country that we constantly ask for it and don't get it. However, this year I have a feeling that we will be shocked to see how much rain we will get. Last night, Thursday, we had our weekly NBA(Nativ Basketball Association, games. As we all go to Gan Hapaamon to play and we stretch out and take the court, I notice some drops coming from the sky. I say to my team, play smart its going to get wet and slippery, which it certainly did. We ended up playing basketball in a very constant and heavy rain for about an hour and a half. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Growing up and throughout high school it was a normal occurrence for it to rain while playing soccer games or at practice. But, I had never ever played basketball in the rain. It was also a tradition that after those rainy and muddy games, my mother would put me or my brothers into a giant yellow trash bag because she didn't to get her car dirty. So as I was walking home from the games, I called my mother and asked her if she would meet me at the park and to bring a giant yellow trash bag, to which she responded with laughter.
Generally speaking, I don't praise the rain or any of the natural wonders that come to us, however now that I am in a country that celebrates and enjoys rain as much as they do, I have a new found appreciation for the rain.
May we continue to see much rain in the country for the remainder of my year and continue to get wet while just merely walking down the street in the middle of the day!!!
A preview of my Shabbat plans.
I was supposed to be staying in Jerusalem and be hosted for meals, but I decided I wanted to get out of Jerusalem. I am going to Ra'anana to stay with a friend who was a staff member on the summer program I hope to be working with this summer, USY on Wheels. I am excited to get a good Shabbat in and be with good company and hopefully great food. After Shabbat, we are driving back to Jerusalem as she is going to be staying on base for a night or so. Their was supposed to be a memorial concert/gathering in Tel Aviv for Yitzchak Rabin, who was the Prime Minister of Israel who was assassinated in 1995, but due to the rain it has been postponed to next weekend. So that is what I am up to for this Shabbat.
Shabbat Shalom!!!
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Shabbat and Idan(10/24-26/2209)
Shabbat October 23-24,2009
As I mentioned in my last post, Shabbat was going to be full of Rabbinical Students. On Friday night I went to shul at Moreshet Yisrael, the shul next to base, where I was honored with hearing Rabbi Brad Artson, the Dean of the Rabbinical School at the American Jewish University. It was my kind of speech; short, sweet, and to the point. After shul, I went with a bunch of the Reb Students from AJU to lunch at one of their houses. It was a nice lunch with good food, good company, and plenty of 90's pop culture references. People don't understand how I am so well versed in the 90's pop culutre, and then when I tell them that I have two older brothers and some of the things that we do/did together growing up they put it all together.
After lunch, I came back to base and read a little and then went to Mincha, Seudat Shilshit and Maariv to end Shabbat. At nigth, Judah and I were invited to a Malavah Malkah, a extension of Shabbat after Shabbat, at a different Reb Students house. Rabbi Artson taught at the Malavah Malkah and their was food and it was just an opportunity for people to be together and celebrate the ending of Shabbat. After the Melavah Malkah, Judah and I went back to base and I watched a movie on my computer with a few people and called it a night.
Sunday October 25,2009
Today was the same as every other day at the Yeshiva. I had Talmud in the morning and then Pirkei Avot followed by Tanach. The excitement was what happened at night. MASA is an organization that helps Jews from the age of 18-35 get to Israel on different types of programs. Nativ is a program affiliated with MASA. Sunday night MASA held its annual concert for all particpants on MASA Programs. The concert was held at Binyanei HaUmah, which is a beautiful theater directly across the street from the Central Bus Station of Jerusalem. The special performer at the concert was none other then the Idan Raichel Project. The Idan Raichel Project is a group comprised of musicans from all across the world who have different styles of music to create one amazing band. I had never seen them before but I had always been told that they know how to put on a show and they most certainly did. He started out very chill and calming with everyone sitting in their seats. After four songs he starts his fast paced songs and his songs that people get out of their seats and go crazy for. And we did exactly that. I have 4 favorite songs that he plays and it was nice because he played 3 of the four songs; Mimamakim,Brong Fraye,Bo'ee, but he did not play Im Telech, which happens to be my favorite of his songs. It was an incredible concert that I will never forget and I can't wait to go and see him again when he comes back to Jerusalem.
After such an amazing concert it was time to get on a bus and head back to base and reflect on the night as well has listen to his music on my IPod as I fell asleep.
What a great night. Now for pictures.
Until next time.....
As I mentioned in my last post, Shabbat was going to be full of Rabbinical Students. On Friday night I went to shul at Moreshet Yisrael, the shul next to base, where I was honored with hearing Rabbi Brad Artson, the Dean of the Rabbinical School at the American Jewish University. It was my kind of speech; short, sweet, and to the point. After shul, I went with a bunch of the Reb Students from AJU to lunch at one of their houses. It was a nice lunch with good food, good company, and plenty of 90's pop culture references. People don't understand how I am so well versed in the 90's pop culutre, and then when I tell them that I have two older brothers and some of the things that we do/did together growing up they put it all together.
After lunch, I came back to base and read a little and then went to Mincha, Seudat Shilshit and Maariv to end Shabbat. At nigth, Judah and I were invited to a Malavah Malkah, a extension of Shabbat after Shabbat, at a different Reb Students house. Rabbi Artson taught at the Malavah Malkah and their was food and it was just an opportunity for people to be together and celebrate the ending of Shabbat. After the Melavah Malkah, Judah and I went back to base and I watched a movie on my computer with a few people and called it a night.
Sunday October 25,2009
Today was the same as every other day at the Yeshiva. I had Talmud in the morning and then Pirkei Avot followed by Tanach. The excitement was what happened at night. MASA is an organization that helps Jews from the age of 18-35 get to Israel on different types of programs. Nativ is a program affiliated with MASA. Sunday night MASA held its annual concert for all particpants on MASA Programs. The concert was held at Binyanei HaUmah, which is a beautiful theater directly across the street from the Central Bus Station of Jerusalem. The special performer at the concert was none other then the Idan Raichel Project. The Idan Raichel Project is a group comprised of musicans from all across the world who have different styles of music to create one amazing band. I had never seen them before but I had always been told that they know how to put on a show and they most certainly did. He started out very chill and calming with everyone sitting in their seats. After four songs he starts his fast paced songs and his songs that people get out of their seats and go crazy for. And we did exactly that. I have 4 favorite songs that he plays and it was nice because he played 3 of the four songs; Mimamakim,Brong Fraye,Bo'ee, but he did not play Im Telech, which happens to be my favorite of his songs. It was an incredible concert that I will never forget and I can't wait to go and see him again when he comes back to Jerusalem.
After such an amazing concert it was time to get on a bus and head back to base and reflect on the night as well has listen to his music on my IPod as I fell asleep.
What a great night. Now for pictures.
Until next time.....
Friday, October 23, 2009
Dedicated Learning(10/22/2009)
Well for the first week back at the Yeshiva, I have to say that it was a good week and I am glad to be back at Yeshiva. Today was a emotional day of learning at the Yeshiva. Several weeks ago both the Yeshiva Community as well as the Nativ Family heard of the loss of Rafi Lehmann. I never knew Rafi, but I have heard lots about him over the past few weeks. Rafi was a Rabbinical Student with my brother Corey as well as a good friend of my brother in law Josh. He was also a counselor/staff member of several of my Nativ friends at Ramah Darom. Rafi passed away suddenly several weeks ago from what I don't know. I have heard many amazing things about how he was a dedicated Jew, and an overall Mensch. Today at the Yeshiva, the learning was dedicated to the life and memory of Rafi. My brother-in-law, Josh, who was a room mate of Rafi's several years ago spoke for about 15 minutes and retold several stories of Rafi and just shared the memory of Rafi with all of us. Reb Shmuel's weekly Sicha was also dedicated to Rafi and he focused on a topic that was near and dear to both the heart of himself but also to Rafi; Teffilah/prayer. It was certainly an emotional day for us at the Yeshiva as we celebrated the life of a amazing person who I feel I knew all my life, but in reality had never met once in my life.
At night after dinner with a large majority of the Nativers, I watched two movies that I have recently acquired from friends, I Love You Man and Miracle. After that it was time to go out and spend the night on the town. I went out for a few hours and ran into a few friends who I hadn't seen yet while being in Israel who are on a different program then I am. I came back at around 1 am and went to bed cause I was a sleepy boy.
A preview for Shabbat:
On Friday night I was asked if I would come and be two groups of Swedish people who came to Israel to learn about Judaism and spend Shabbat here. I was asked by two of the Rabbinical Students from AJU that I am at the Yeshiva with. So that is Friday night. Saturday morning I am going to Moreshet Yisrael, next door to base, to listen to Rabbi Brad Artson give the Dvar Torah and then after that I am going to a Reb Students house for lunch with a bunch of other people. Motzei Shabbat their is a little get together at another Reb Students house with Rabbi Artson and the other Reb Students at AJU. It should be an exciting weekend.
Shabbat Shalom and now for the pictures of the day.
At night after dinner with a large majority of the Nativers, I watched two movies that I have recently acquired from friends, I Love You Man and Miracle. After that it was time to go out and spend the night on the town. I went out for a few hours and ran into a few friends who I hadn't seen yet while being in Israel who are on a different program then I am. I came back at around 1 am and went to bed cause I was a sleepy boy.
A preview for Shabbat:
On Friday night I was asked if I would come and be two groups of Swedish people who came to Israel to learn about Judaism and spend Shabbat here. I was asked by two of the Rabbinical Students from AJU that I am at the Yeshiva with. So that is Friday night. Saturday morning I am going to Moreshet Yisrael, next door to base, to listen to Rabbi Brad Artson give the Dvar Torah and then after that I am going to a Reb Students house for lunch with a bunch of other people. Motzei Shabbat their is a little get together at another Reb Students house with Rabbi Artson and the other Reb Students at AJU. It should be an exciting weekend.
Shabbat Shalom and now for the pictures of the day.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Education(10/20&21/2009)
I would like to open with a Mishnah from Pirkei Avot, the Ethics of our Fathers, that describes the past two days perfectly.
רבי טרפון אומר, היום קצר, והמלאכה מרובה, והפועלים עצלים, והשכר הרבה, ובעל הבית דוחק
Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short, the task is great, the laborers are lazy, the wage is abundant and the master is urgent. 2:20
Over the past two days I have been learning intensively like crazy. Tuesday morning I had a very intensive Tanach class where we discussed on of the prophecies in the book of Amos. I am finally starting to understand how all the different prophecies happened and finally realize that it must have been a very difficult job to be a Prophet. Thank God I am not a Prophet. It would be to much stress and pressure. I am really enjoying my Tanach class because the teacher is incredibly brilliant as well as an absolute angle. I wish I would have had a Tanach teacher like her in school because I would have learnt so much more then I know today.
After Tanach, I had my weekly lunch date with Rabbi Paul and Nina at their favorite joint, Cafe Joe on King George. We had to cut this one short this week because I had to get back to the Yeshiva to listen to Chancellor Arnie Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Dr. Eisen spoke to us about Conservative Judaism without talking about Conservative Judaism. I know it is complicated and it took me a little bit of time to fully comprehend his topic. He spoke about the continued need for Jewish Education as well as people needing to live Jewish lives. He was very fascinating, however he spoke for only 20 minutes which to some people would be plenty of time, but I would have liked to hear him speak for a little longer. I also got to meet the Chancellor after he spoke and got to exchange a few words with him so that was nice.
After the Chancellor spoke I had about an hour break before my next class. However, I decided not to go to my next class of Modern Jewish thought. As I have mentioned in the past, the class is a mess. The class discusses great topics and the teacher is brilliant, but he is all over the place and goes off on too many tangents and it is difficult for me to follow. It turns out it was a good thing that I didn't go to class. Turns out that the entire class was bombarded by Hebrew U students and Ulpan students who were off of class and had nothing to do. Turns out those extra kids would not stop talking and causing trouble to the teacher and he was unable to teach the way he normally did. So, had I been there originally chances are I would have walked out on the class. This was probably the first time in my entire educational career that I believe I skipped school/class. It was slightly odd, but I am glad I made that decision.
Tuesday night is Erev Nativ and for this weeks Erev Nativ we had a Beit Midrash session with some of the Rabbinical Students from JTS. I was in a session that dealt with Mishnah. It was a good session, however the teacher lacked a little in my opinion. But none the less it was a good session. The JTS Reb Students are going to be leading a Beit Midrash for us Nativers on a weekly basis, completely optional, that allows the Nativers to learn a little from potentially our futures Rabbis and Jewish Educators.
After Beit Midrash I went to shower and got a good nights sleep.
Wednesday was also full of learning. I started learning brand new Tractate of Talmud, Bava Kama. I am in a different class now and I have different Chevrutas so it will be interesting to see how it goes without Judah. It is a different teacher who has a different approach to teaching. He is more of a philosophical teacher and he is also British. I may or may not be switching back into my the other class that I was in before, but I am going to give this class a little bit of time to see what it is like.
It is funny that to learn what I am currently learning in Talmud class. During Junior year of high school I took a class with one of my favorite teachers in school, Rabbi Sosover, and he taught us the same material that I am currently learning now at the Yeshiva. The only bad part about this whole situation is that I didn't retain anything that I learned back in JR. year. I am excited to re-learn the material and then be able to go back to Rabbi Sosover one of these days and say it all back to him and thank him for giving me the fundamental building blocks for my skills in Talmud.
After Talmud I had lunch and a break before my last class of the day started, Poskim with the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Shmuel. In class today we read an introduction to a Halachic work that was going against another Halachic work. It was interesting to see why people thought that one major work was not as good as a minor work and why they felt the need to have so many authoritative books about the same subject matters.
After Poskim we davened Maariv at the Yeshiva, which I got to lead, and then I went to dinner with a Reb Student from AJU, David, who I am in a lot of classes with. Now here I am writing this blog post and just relaxing in my room listening to music with our open door policy.
Two good days full of learning. Welcome to Israel, the 24/7 location for learning!!! And now for some pictures of what I look like in case you forgot.
David
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רבי טרפון אומר, היום קצר, והמלאכה מרובה, והפועלים עצלים, והשכר הרבה, ובעל הבית דוחק
Rabbi Tarfon said: The day is short, the task is great, the laborers are lazy, the wage is abundant and the master is urgent. 2:20
Over the past two days I have been learning intensively like crazy. Tuesday morning I had a very intensive Tanach class where we discussed on of the prophecies in the book of Amos. I am finally starting to understand how all the different prophecies happened and finally realize that it must have been a very difficult job to be a Prophet. Thank God I am not a Prophet. It would be to much stress and pressure. I am really enjoying my Tanach class because the teacher is incredibly brilliant as well as an absolute angle. I wish I would have had a Tanach teacher like her in school because I would have learnt so much more then I know today.
After Tanach, I had my weekly lunch date with Rabbi Paul and Nina at their favorite joint, Cafe Joe on King George. We had to cut this one short this week because I had to get back to the Yeshiva to listen to Chancellor Arnie Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Dr. Eisen spoke to us about Conservative Judaism without talking about Conservative Judaism. I know it is complicated and it took me a little bit of time to fully comprehend his topic. He spoke about the continued need for Jewish Education as well as people needing to live Jewish lives. He was very fascinating, however he spoke for only 20 minutes which to some people would be plenty of time, but I would have liked to hear him speak for a little longer. I also got to meet the Chancellor after he spoke and got to exchange a few words with him so that was nice.
After the Chancellor spoke I had about an hour break before my next class. However, I decided not to go to my next class of Modern Jewish thought. As I have mentioned in the past, the class is a mess. The class discusses great topics and the teacher is brilliant, but he is all over the place and goes off on too many tangents and it is difficult for me to follow. It turns out it was a good thing that I didn't go to class. Turns out that the entire class was bombarded by Hebrew U students and Ulpan students who were off of class and had nothing to do. Turns out those extra kids would not stop talking and causing trouble to the teacher and he was unable to teach the way he normally did. So, had I been there originally chances are I would have walked out on the class. This was probably the first time in my entire educational career that I believe I skipped school/class. It was slightly odd, but I am glad I made that decision.
Tuesday night is Erev Nativ and for this weeks Erev Nativ we had a Beit Midrash session with some of the Rabbinical Students from JTS. I was in a session that dealt with Mishnah. It was a good session, however the teacher lacked a little in my opinion. But none the less it was a good session. The JTS Reb Students are going to be leading a Beit Midrash for us Nativers on a weekly basis, completely optional, that allows the Nativers to learn a little from potentially our futures Rabbis and Jewish Educators.
After Beit Midrash I went to shower and got a good nights sleep.
Wednesday was also full of learning. I started learning brand new Tractate of Talmud, Bava Kama. I am in a different class now and I have different Chevrutas so it will be interesting to see how it goes without Judah. It is a different teacher who has a different approach to teaching. He is more of a philosophical teacher and he is also British. I may or may not be switching back into my the other class that I was in before, but I am going to give this class a little bit of time to see what it is like.
It is funny that to learn what I am currently learning in Talmud class. During Junior year of high school I took a class with one of my favorite teachers in school, Rabbi Sosover, and he taught us the same material that I am currently learning now at the Yeshiva. The only bad part about this whole situation is that I didn't retain anything that I learned back in JR. year. I am excited to re-learn the material and then be able to go back to Rabbi Sosover one of these days and say it all back to him and thank him for giving me the fundamental building blocks for my skills in Talmud.
After Talmud I had lunch and a break before my last class of the day started, Poskim with the Rosh Yeshiva, Reb Shmuel. In class today we read an introduction to a Halachic work that was going against another Halachic work. It was interesting to see why people thought that one major work was not as good as a minor work and why they felt the need to have so many authoritative books about the same subject matters.
After Poskim we davened Maariv at the Yeshiva, which I got to lead, and then I went to dinner with a Reb Student from AJU, David, who I am in a lot of classes with. Now here I am writing this blog post and just relaxing in my room listening to music with our open door policy.
Two good days full of learning. Welcome to Israel, the 24/7 location for learning!!! And now for some pictures of what I look like in case you forgot.
David
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Monday, October 19, 2009
Back to Normal(10/18&19/2009)
Back To Normal
After a very restful Shabbat of doing nothing and sleeping all day, I started back at the Yeshiva after being gone for a week because of the training course for Magen David Adom. I never thought I would be the one to say such a thing, but I really missed classes at the Yeshiva as well as the environment. The people and the atmosphere at the Yeshiva is just so calming for someone to be a part of and after a long break from not going it is good to be back.
Classes resumed as usual for all of us and it was a pretty standard day at the Yeshiva. Today was slightly upsetting because I once again had to miss my favorite class of Tanach with Vered because I had to Skype into a meeting in New York that went for over 6 and a half hours. I was sad but I knew that life would go on and that it was part of my job responsibilities for USY.
I ditched the meeting a little early and borrowed my friend Mark's bike and rode all the way to Gan HaPa'amon for our weekly meeting of the NBA, Nativ Basektball Association. I was just in time for my team to play and sadly we lost. After basketball I went back to base and showered and then changed my sheets on my bed and crashed cause I was sleepy.
Monday October 19,2009: The Most Typical Day!!!
I don't really have much to say about today. It was a very standard day with Talmud, Halacha Le'Maseh, and Advanced Midrash. I didn't really learn so much today, it happens. Sometimes you go an entire day without learning much which builds the anticipation of learning much more the next day. I promise the next time I post I will have more excitement to share.
Lila Tov for now,
David
After a very restful Shabbat of doing nothing and sleeping all day, I started back at the Yeshiva after being gone for a week because of the training course for Magen David Adom. I never thought I would be the one to say such a thing, but I really missed classes at the Yeshiva as well as the environment. The people and the atmosphere at the Yeshiva is just so calming for someone to be a part of and after a long break from not going it is good to be back.
Classes resumed as usual for all of us and it was a pretty standard day at the Yeshiva. Today was slightly upsetting because I once again had to miss my favorite class of Tanach with Vered because I had to Skype into a meeting in New York that went for over 6 and a half hours. I was sad but I knew that life would go on and that it was part of my job responsibilities for USY.
I ditched the meeting a little early and borrowed my friend Mark's bike and rode all the way to Gan HaPa'amon for our weekly meeting of the NBA, Nativ Basektball Association. I was just in time for my team to play and sadly we lost. After basketball I went back to base and showered and then changed my sheets on my bed and crashed cause I was sleepy.
Monday October 19,2009: The Most Typical Day!!!
I don't really have much to say about today. It was a very standard day with Talmud, Halacha Le'Maseh, and Advanced Midrash. I didn't really learn so much today, it happens. Sometimes you go an entire day without learning much which builds the anticipation of learning much more the next day. I promise the next time I post I will have more excitement to share.
Lila Tov for now,
David
Friday, October 16, 2009
Long Time No Post!!!!(Dates Undetermined)
I don't even remember the last time I posted to my blog, but what I do know is that I have a lot to share. I am not going to go day by day just because it is somewhat repetitious because of the training for Magen David Adom being everyday since last Wednesday. But here we go....
Shabbat/Shmeini Atzeret/Simchat Torah(October 9 and 10, 2009)
The culmination of the Jewish Holidays in Israel couldn't have ended in a better way then it did. In Israel we only celebrate one day of Yom Tov for holidays, whereas everywhere besides Israel celebrates two days, so Friday and Saturday were a very long Yom Tov. We started the Chag by going to shul at Kol Rina which is a very small shul in a bomb shelter in Nachlaot. We got there and we did Kabbalat Shabbat and Marriv and after Maariv we introduced the Holiday of Simchat Torah. It is customary on Simchat Torah to dance with the Torah for seven Hakafot, processionals. So we did just that. It took about 45 minutes to start the first one because the Rabbi of the shul kept trying auction off the first and the sixth Hakafot to people for large sums of Sheckels, upwards of 2,000. It was very frustrating and people started to leave but we all decided to stick it out for a bit longer and then we finally started dancing. Dinner at base was called for 7:30pm and we left Kol Rina at about 7:15 and they weren't even on the third Hakafah yet, so I can only imagine how late they went. After dinner all of Nativ gathered for the weekly Nativ-a-Tisch and we sang and ate and then I called it a night cause I was dead.
Saturday morning a bunch of us got up early and headed to Shira Hadashah for Shmeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah davening. We had been told that it would be the longest davening of the year with the exception of Yom Kippur. The reason for it being this long was because it was two holidays into one davening and they had to get a lot in. Shul started at 8 and I was there from 8 to about 2ish. It was a long yet joyous davening. The Hakafot this time around started on time and went for about an hour and a half. It was great singing and dancing and I got to hold a Torah for a little bit which is always nice. After we did the Hakafot we prepared for the completion of the Torah as well as the starting of the Torah. For the completion of the Torah they set up 7 stations throughout the building and had people go to a station in order that everyone at shul would take an aliyah. It was a very creative system that I had never seen before. After everyone in all 7 stations had aliyot we all came back together for the reading of the Torah for the Chag and Shabbat as well as the completion of the Torah and the starting of the Torah. It was a great service and probably one my most enjoyable services I have been to in Israel thus far.
After davening we went back to base for lunch and a little nap, but that didn't really happen cause once again Shabbat ends so early in Israel right now that by the time you finish lunch it is nearly time to say Mincha and then end Shabbat. So we did just that, ate, Mincha, and then Maariv. After we all davened Maariv we had dinner at base and then everyone went and got ready and dressed for Hakafot Shniyot. Hakafot Shniyot are the second set of Hakafot done in Gan HaPaamon, Liberty Bell Park, after the Chag is over. The Hakafot are full of singing, dancing, live music, food, and different activities for kids. We as Nativ decided we would take over the basketball court that we normally play on for the NBA(Nativ Basketball Association) and we would sing and dance like crazy teenage American Jews that we are. It was a great time. Those of us who were doing MADA left early because we had a study session for our Mid Term first thing on Sunday Morning. After I studied I crashed in bed cause I was exhausted which happens to be a recurring theme for the rest of the week. Now for pictures of Hakafot Shniyot.
A tower of Seffi, Seth, Aly and myself at Hakafot Shniyot
Me on the shoulders of the Great Seth Lerman
Me and Seth being ourselves
Sunday to Thursday (October 11-15,2009)
Everyday this week we had Magen David Adom from about 9 in the morning to about 7ish at night. It was a very intensive week filled with different medical terminologies, diagnosis's, procedures, and most importantly demonstrations and practice. No one ever said that the training for Magen David Adom would be easy and it certainly wasn't. Lets fast forward to Wednesday. We are all ready for our final. The final was split up into two parts. The first part would be a written test with multiple choice questions, short answers, true/false, and vocabulary. Along with the written test was test that had about 30ish phrases/commands/questions in Hebrew that we would have to translate into English. The second test was the practical test. The practical test had four parts; adult CPR, baby CPR, back boarding and PHTLS which stands for Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support which are the procedures that you do when you arrive at a trauma patient. After lots of studying and test taking I passed the tests and felt so accomplished. I was officially a First Responder for Magen David Adom. I would know have the chance to volunteer in Jerusalem a few days a week as well as during the second semester in Yerucham. On Thursday morning we had a tour of the Jerusalem MADA station as well as a walk through and demonstration of the ambulance that we would be working on. Now for some pictures...
I promise I am not a terrorist!!!
Me all bandaged up. Look no bleeding and no feeling!!
The Nativ MADA class on the Ambulance!!!
Digging for Gold!!!
So now that MADA training is all over I am able to just reflect on the experiences and the lessons learned and I can finally get some needed R&R. This Shabbat I am staying on base and plan to just sleep as much as possible and I am so excited. I think this has been a long enough post for now. I will add a few funny pictures for a cheery on top.
Shabbat Shalom,
David
Shabbat/Shmeini Atzeret/Simchat Torah(October 9 and 10, 2009)
The culmination of the Jewish Holidays in Israel couldn't have ended in a better way then it did. In Israel we only celebrate one day of Yom Tov for holidays, whereas everywhere besides Israel celebrates two days, so Friday and Saturday were a very long Yom Tov. We started the Chag by going to shul at Kol Rina which is a very small shul in a bomb shelter in Nachlaot. We got there and we did Kabbalat Shabbat and Marriv and after Maariv we introduced the Holiday of Simchat Torah. It is customary on Simchat Torah to dance with the Torah for seven Hakafot, processionals. So we did just that. It took about 45 minutes to start the first one because the Rabbi of the shul kept trying auction off the first and the sixth Hakafot to people for large sums of Sheckels, upwards of 2,000. It was very frustrating and people started to leave but we all decided to stick it out for a bit longer and then we finally started dancing. Dinner at base was called for 7:30pm and we left Kol Rina at about 7:15 and they weren't even on the third Hakafah yet, so I can only imagine how late they went. After dinner all of Nativ gathered for the weekly Nativ-a-Tisch and we sang and ate and then I called it a night cause I was dead.
Saturday morning a bunch of us got up early and headed to Shira Hadashah for Shmeni Atzeret and Simchat Torah davening. We had been told that it would be the longest davening of the year with the exception of Yom Kippur. The reason for it being this long was because it was two holidays into one davening and they had to get a lot in. Shul started at 8 and I was there from 8 to about 2ish. It was a long yet joyous davening. The Hakafot this time around started on time and went for about an hour and a half. It was great singing and dancing and I got to hold a Torah for a little bit which is always nice. After we did the Hakafot we prepared for the completion of the Torah as well as the starting of the Torah. For the completion of the Torah they set up 7 stations throughout the building and had people go to a station in order that everyone at shul would take an aliyah. It was a very creative system that I had never seen before. After everyone in all 7 stations had aliyot we all came back together for the reading of the Torah for the Chag and Shabbat as well as the completion of the Torah and the starting of the Torah. It was a great service and probably one my most enjoyable services I have been to in Israel thus far.
After davening we went back to base for lunch and a little nap, but that didn't really happen cause once again Shabbat ends so early in Israel right now that by the time you finish lunch it is nearly time to say Mincha and then end Shabbat. So we did just that, ate, Mincha, and then Maariv. After we all davened Maariv we had dinner at base and then everyone went and got ready and dressed for Hakafot Shniyot. Hakafot Shniyot are the second set of Hakafot done in Gan HaPaamon, Liberty Bell Park, after the Chag is over. The Hakafot are full of singing, dancing, live music, food, and different activities for kids. We as Nativ decided we would take over the basketball court that we normally play on for the NBA(Nativ Basketball Association) and we would sing and dance like crazy teenage American Jews that we are. It was a great time. Those of us who were doing MADA left early because we had a study session for our Mid Term first thing on Sunday Morning. After I studied I crashed in bed cause I was exhausted which happens to be a recurring theme for the rest of the week. Now for pictures of Hakafot Shniyot.
A tower of Seffi, Seth, Aly and myself at Hakafot Shniyot
Me on the shoulders of the Great Seth Lerman
Me and Seth being ourselves
Sunday to Thursday (October 11-15,2009)
Everyday this week we had Magen David Adom from about 9 in the morning to about 7ish at night. It was a very intensive week filled with different medical terminologies, diagnosis's, procedures, and most importantly demonstrations and practice. No one ever said that the training for Magen David Adom would be easy and it certainly wasn't. Lets fast forward to Wednesday. We are all ready for our final. The final was split up into two parts. The first part would be a written test with multiple choice questions, short answers, true/false, and vocabulary. Along with the written test was test that had about 30ish phrases/commands/questions in Hebrew that we would have to translate into English. The second test was the practical test. The practical test had four parts; adult CPR, baby CPR, back boarding and PHTLS which stands for Pre Hospital Trauma Life Support which are the procedures that you do when you arrive at a trauma patient. After lots of studying and test taking I passed the tests and felt so accomplished. I was officially a First Responder for Magen David Adom. I would know have the chance to volunteer in Jerusalem a few days a week as well as during the second semester in Yerucham. On Thursday morning we had a tour of the Jerusalem MADA station as well as a walk through and demonstration of the ambulance that we would be working on. Now for some pictures...
I promise I am not a terrorist!!!
Me all bandaged up. Look no bleeding and no feeling!!
The Nativ MADA class on the Ambulance!!!
Digging for Gold!!!
So now that MADA training is all over I am able to just reflect on the experiences and the lessons learned and I can finally get some needed R&R. This Shabbat I am staying on base and plan to just sleep as much as possible and I am so excited. I think this has been a long enough post for now. I will add a few funny pictures for a cheery on top.
Shabbat Shalom,
David
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Magen David Adom Training and Matisyahu(10/07-10/2009)
After a great three day hike in the middle of the desert I got my life back to normal and started my week and a half long intensive training to become a first responder for emergencies for Magen David Adom/Israeli Red Cross. This has been something I have been looking forward to since I signed up for Nativ. I was going to learn how to take care of people in different situations and I was going to have skills that would last me for the rest of my life.
The way the class works is that we are in a simulation/lecture setting for about a week and a half from about 8 in the morning to about 8 at night, except for Friday and Saturday. Our instructor, Seri, teaches about different techniques of first aid and then we can practice on dummies. So far in three days I have learned how to do CPR on adults, children, and babies. I have also learned how to diagnose different cases such as heart attacks, strokes, siezures, different types of accidents, and have learned the procedures behind the rescue. I have learned so many different medical terms that will help me in the future with this training.
It is a very intensive class that has a lot of information to be learned in such a small amount of time. I am certainly enjoying myself and I can't wait for the rest of the week and more learning and for the ambulance simulation later next week.
I will share some pictures from our training now:
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On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to go to the Matisyahu Concert in Jerusalem near the Old City. I went with Adam, Seth, Josh, Joe, Tyler, and Judah. We had amazing seats and decided to leave for the front row of the stage to get a better view. The majority of us came back to our seats and enjoyed the show from the seats instead of getting trampled by all of the crazy people at the show. It was probably one of the best shows I have seen in a while. Some of the songs he played were off of us new album which I had never heard before, but the one song off of his new album that was incredible was the song "One Day." I have some photos to share because they were just great shots that a friend took. Enjoy!!!
The way the class works is that we are in a simulation/lecture setting for about a week and a half from about 8 in the morning to about 8 at night, except for Friday and Saturday. Our instructor, Seri, teaches about different techniques of first aid and then we can practice on dummies. So far in three days I have learned how to do CPR on adults, children, and babies. I have also learned how to diagnose different cases such as heart attacks, strokes, siezures, different types of accidents, and have learned the procedures behind the rescue. I have learned so many different medical terms that will help me in the future with this training.
It is a very intensive class that has a lot of information to be learned in such a small amount of time. I am certainly enjoying myself and I can't wait for the rest of the week and more learning and for the ambulance simulation later next week.
I will share some pictures from our training now:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Wednesday night I was lucky enough to go to the Matisyahu Concert in Jerusalem near the Old City. I went with Adam, Seth, Josh, Joe, Tyler, and Judah. We had amazing seats and decided to leave for the front row of the stage to get a better view. The majority of us came back to our seats and enjoyed the show from the seats instead of getting trampled by all of the crazy people at the show. It was probably one of the best shows I have seen in a while. Some of the songs he played were off of us new album which I had never heard before, but the one song off of his new album that was incredible was the song "One Day." I have some photos to share because they were just great shots that a friend took. Enjoy!!!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
I Came, I Hiked, I Conqured (10/04-06/2009)
I apologize for not posting in such a long time. As soon as Shabbat/Yom Tov ended on Saturday night I came back from Modi'in as I had mentioned and packed up and prepared myself for the 3 day Desert Survival in the Negev. I am just going to post for the entire Prepare for the journey of a lifetime...
First thing Sunday morning was a wake up of 5:45am in order to be down and ready at the bus for a 6:15 departure to the South. Kibbutz and Kehilla would say goodbye to eachother until Monday afternoon. We headed to oppositie points and would meet up for about five minutes and overlap locations. Kehilla(my group) headed south to Beer Sheva right off the bat for Davening at a local Conservative Shul. We davened and then ate breakfast in the Sukkah and filled up our water bottles as well as used the bathrooms once more before heading on the bus to our drop of location to begin our desert survival.
From Beer Sheva we drove to Machtesh Ramon(the Crater of Ramon in the South). We stopped at a gas station to pick up our guide for the 3 days, Michal, and we dropped our overnight bags with the desert survival company we were using. We had a very turbulant ride once we hit the desert until we were let off at our starting point. The view from all around was absolutely incredible and that would turn out to be a common theme throughout the trip.
Our tour guide Michal led us on a hike up and down a mountain for about 6 kilometers.
The fun really started once the sun started to set a bit, and we were in a wadi so there was shade. We got to our campsite about 45 minutes before sunset and the people from the jeeps were already cooking up something fabulous for dinner. I felt that the first days hike was fairly easy for me and I was ready for a challenge the next day. I enjoy nice challenges when it comes to hiking. I enjoy both steep inclines and very steep declines and I am always up for a twist in the path. I was excited for what the next day would bring.
After we ended for the first day we set up camp and became familiar with our surroundings. I was used to camping in the woods and using the woods as a restroom however, some of the girls and a few of the boys were hesitant at first but slowly gave in because it was the only option. We had a fantastic dinner and a great little camp fire with a song session and we all headed to bed between 8 and 9:30 pm as it was dark very quickly in the cool and moon lit desert.
Wake up at 5am is quite amazing especially when the moon has jump 180 degrees to the exact opposite side it was on when you go to bed. I was excited for the second day of hiking because I was told it would be more of a challenge. We all god up and got dressed and tore down camp and davened with our Lulavs and Etrogs in the middle of the desert and then ate breakfast and packed lunches and prepared ourselves for the day.
We began the hike around 7:30ish I believe and it was already pretty hot outside, but we had a nice breeze that kept with us throughout the entire day. We hiked up a mountain for a long time and sometimes it was a little uncomfortable because of the heat or the terrain, but the feeling at the top was unbelievable. There was a wide range of ground cover, from sand to gravel to rocks to big flat boulders, and all different combinations of those four things. It made things difficult for the ankles. At every point that we stopped, people found flat rocks and went to sleep (this even happened to me, which I was not expecting!).The hiking went on like this for several hours. To pass the time, we sang and got to know each other and got to know ourselves. I was lucky enough to hike with Razie who was very timid and scared at points with the inclines and declines as well as the narrow paths so I was holding her hand and helping her get through the hike for the three days. She did an incredible job of conquering fears as well as keeping a positive spirit.
I am sharing something from my friend Jordana's blog to sum up the final day and a half of hiking because she puts it a lot more eloquently then I do.
At some point in the afternoon hours we met up with the Kibbutz group and then passed them moments later moving on to the second half of the days hiking. After resting and seeing Kibbutz, we went on our way and hiked a full 13 kilometers up and down a mountain. We stayed at a very open area for our campsite but it was very nice and it was warm the second night, humid in fact. We woke up at 4:30 and we were on the road by seven at the latest, after davening and breakfast and clearing up the campsite and peeing in the sand several more times. The hike today was really great because there were clouds, so we were in the shade a lot more than we would have been. We also did a trust walk at the top of Har Yahav, during which we held onto the backpack in front of us, closed our eyes, walked in the direction we were pulled, and hoped we weren't led off the cliff. Don't worry, everyone survived.
At the end of a long day, we were taken out of the hiking area by real live jeeps! They were so cool and our driver was super nice and informative, although I was only partly informed because I couldn't understand his accent. We also saw a camel carcass on the ground! And I forgot to say before we saw a real yellow scorpion, many fighter planes because the army likes to practice in the Negev, and a twister!!! We then enjoyed a great lunch of cold cuts and cold ice water.
People had talked about Survival as a great bonding experience, and I did not doubt it. Any challenge is bound to bring a group of people together. But the amount that my trust and adoration grew for the people-all of them-with whom I survived was so much more than I ever expected.
When it comes to hiking and camping, I am a very intense person who loves doing both and loves challenges as I mentioned. I didn't find this hike to be exceptionally challenging however, I did find the challenge that was given to us to be quite challenging. Everyone in the group had a different level of comfort when it came to hiking as well as different experiences. I personally have a passion and a higher level for hiking and camping then most people do. I have learned over time in many different situations that you must accommodate for not only yourself, but for the majority of the people. I think I accomplished that right off the bat by helping Razie the entire time. I would normally be the person at the front of the group running up and down the mountains and being optimistic and enthusiastic during hard times, but instead I decided to stop and look around at the people around me. I was able to help out those in need and made them feel accomplished for tackling new heights both figuratively and literally. I enjoyed my hiking experience and I certainly got a lot out of just sitting in the desert and taking in the views and thinking about life.
I certainly believe that I indeed came, hiked and conquered!!
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