Finding a Rhythm

Getting ready for Orientation Shabbat!

And we're back! We left off the last post as we were running out of the house for Shabbat. It hasn't even been a week since then, but it feels like a month's worth of things have happened. So, let's get to it!

July 13: Orientation Shabbat at HUC. We started with a very interesting talk from Rabbi Naamah Kelman, Dean of the Jerusalem campus, about בנות צלפחד, the daughters of Tzelafechad. We talked about the role of women in text and how the rabbis raised up these exceptional women in the commentary.

From there we moved outside to the beautiful HUC courtyard for Kabbalat Shabbat services. On Fridays in Jerusalem, there is a siren that sounds to mark the coming of each Shabbat. Right as we finished our closing song, this week the siren sounded. We sat in silence for the duration. It was an incredibly powerful and timely moment that helped sanctify Shabbat and the start to an exciting and holy journey that Jason, Gavi, 50 classmates, and 2 other SOs (significant others) will be starting.

We shared dinner as a class in the campus's academic courtyard. We brought our honey along with us, shared it with our tablemates and brought a piece of challah drizzled with honey over to the other newlywed couple. As one might expect, we enjoyed the food, but the best part was Zmirot (singing) after the meal. We sang as long as we could before the building staff had to shut down and go home for the night. But, in true Brandeis-kid shabbat fashion, we weren't done hanging out, so we brought 18 new friends home with us to play games, laugh, and eat Honey Nut Cheerios until everyone was exhausted.

Shabbos win.

July 14: A very busy Shabbat! After services at HUC, we came home for a quick lunch with friends and then headed with them to the Cinemateque. Earlier in the week, we had pre-purchased tickets for the Jerusalem Film Festival to see Death of a Superhero. The rest of the day was filled with time with friends, a delicious evening meal at a classmate's apartment, a seudah shlishit (third meal) of homemade desserts at HUC, and a beautiful orientation closing ceremony and Havdallah service. That night the class all celebrated the end of Orientation, the beginning of the Summer Semester, a classmate's birthday, and a classmate's simcha at a bar on Ben Yehuda Street. We had a great time talking with old friends, making new friends, and Jason got a little over excited at the opportunity to talk to someone about juvenile justice reform in Illinois.

July 15: Jason's first day of Ulpan! No need to bore you with the details, but it was an exciting day of diving back into taking classes and thinking about, learning in, and speaking Hebrew. The class is fun, the teacher is great, and there is A LOT to learn. Jason also had his first day of High Holiday choir...he realized it has been quite a while since he had to read music. Thankfully there are actual tenors who can actually sightread who sit next to him.

That night, Jason used all of his handyman prowess to find and fix the gas tank so we could cook. He was, of course, successful. We made a yummy dinner and then headed to the movie theater with friends to see The Amazing Spiderman.

July 16: One of the first times it felt like we had a "normal day." We both went to class, came home to make dinner, caught up with family on the phone/skype. It felt really nice to have a dose of normalcy; we're starting to feel much more settled and are developing a rhythm.

July 17: Gavi woke up super-duper early for a walk with one of her professors and a few classmates to the Old City. They entered through the Zion Gate and eventually met up with the rest of the Conservative Yeshiva group who had taken a bus. Once the group was all together, they went to the Masorti Kotel (a section of the Western Wall near Robinson's arch that was excavated after 1967. It is both an archeological exhibit and a place for egalitarian worship at the Kotel) to daven shacharit (pray the morning service) together.

Gavi made it home after Jason had left for class and promptly fell back to sleep until it was time to leave for her afternoon classes.

Jason learned more Hebrew.

Tonight, we also each went to dinner with the other SOs in the class. Gavi, with the respective spouses of the students, and Jason with the students. We each talked a bit about our experiences so far and the advice of past classmates and SOs.

Then, we ate a Pesekzman ice cream bar, wrote a post, and clicked publish.

!לילה טוב