My last day of classes at She'arim: It was a really good day - I was surprised that I was able to stay focused for the whole day. You know how it is, last day of school, last day of work before vacation - you're mentally checked out. But I wasn't.
I really wanted to get the most out of my learning, so I really engaged myself in every class.
We finally finished the halacha of muktsa - I can't believe it took 6 hours to just go over all the laws of Muktsa. I found out something very disconcerting in that class today. Apparently, animals are muktsa. It's a very difficult thing for me to understand because I have quite a lot of cats at home - I can't imagine not petting them on Shabbos. That is something I'm going to have to work on, for sure.
The other class that was really interesting was "Finding light in Darkness."
We went over the Arab Israel conflict from a very unique perspective. Basically, Avraham's son Yishmael's descendants are Muslims and Arabs. I don't know how we know this, but we know it. It says in a midrash that Yishmael's job in the world is to take the idolaters out of this world by force. He is described as a wild man - but his blessing is that his descendants will have control of Israel for a long time and stop the Jews from coming back to Israel. It's scary how accurate this is - and it was written so many years ago.
It was kind of a low note to end on, but it got me thinking. I just hope that we can find some way to live with it - I mean if this is what G-d destined for us, then this is what we will live with. If we can't have peace with them, we have to protect ourselves, and that is what we are doing - as Jews, as Israelis, as Americans and whoever else - we're protecting ourselves against any possible threat to our safety and our beliefs.
After classes, I went back to the dorm, cooked a delicious dinner of fish with a tomato based sauce and sauteed vegetables, and then just hung out the rest of the night. I packed a little but will need to finish packing in the morning.
I had a really good time here in Har Nof, but I am ready to go back home. I miss my family, my boyfriend, and my life back at home.
I will post one more time about my trip, but it may not be until I get home - I hear the air port in Tel Aviv has free wireless, so maybe I'll be able to post one last time in Israel.
As soon as I am home, this blog's purpose will essentially be over, but I am considering creating a new blog about my general life - I haven't quite decided what the topic will be or what the manifestation of that topic will be, but I'll keep you updated.
I want to say that I met a lot of wonderful people here - I met wonderful teachers, students, and felt my experience here was fulfilling in an educational, physical, and spiritual way. I do hope to keep in touch with the new friends I've made and the school that helped me grow so much over the short period of two weeks.
B'hatzlacha, L'hitra'ot!
Showing posts with label she'arim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label she'arim. Show all posts
Friday, January 4, 2008
Monday, December 31, 2007
Happy Gregorian New Year!
Classes were good today, as I expected them to be. I went to a Shalom Bayit class where they talked about how to make good decisions at home, and the rest of the classes were the same as last Monday's schedule. I really enjoy them, as the teachers are as dynamic as the topics.
After classes, I went to another class - ballet!
I went to the same dance school as I went to last week, but I LOVE ballet. I used to be a ballerina (when I was younger and more flexible), but I haven't been able to go to a ballet class in 6 years! It was really great to do the strictest, most difficult of all the dances for an hour, and I know my muscles will "thank" me for it tomorrow.
Now I'm just waiting for the clock to strike 12 here so I can say, "Happy New Year," and then immediately after, go to sleep.
Happy 2008 New Year, everyone!
After classes, I went to another class - ballet!
I went to the same dance school as I went to last week, but I LOVE ballet. I used to be a ballerina (when I was younger and more flexible), but I haven't been able to go to a ballet class in 6 years! It was really great to do the strictest, most difficult of all the dances for an hour, and I know my muscles will "thank" me for it tomorrow.
Now I'm just waiting for the clock to strike 12 here so I can say, "Happy New Year," and then immediately after, go to sleep.
Happy 2008 New Year, everyone!
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Sushi in the Holy Land
Wednesday was the good day of classes - there was more learning about hating your "brother" and what hating does to you inside. She compared it to walking up the stairs with a ball and chain around your leg. Basically, holding a grudge and having anger against someone bears down on your soul and affects your day to day living. Also, it could come out at any time - she gave the example of a pressure cooker. When the pressure builds up, eventually it blows its top off.
Then she told us ways to get over anger, hatred, and ill-feelings. Very useful, because who really doesn't have anger towards somebody. She did say the best way to avoid holding hatred is to tell the person how you feel - tell the person what he/she did to make you angry. I guess it's good that I'm as honest as I am. :)
The rest of the day was great - learning more about Yocheved (mother of Moshe) and why she was so special, more about King David and the Tehilim he wrote, more about Muktza, and more Perkei Avot.
After classes, my roommate said she was going to a class, so I asked her where she was going figuring it was a shiur (lecture/discussion of Torah). She said she was going to a Jazz class. I said, "Dance? I want to go!" So we went to a dance class.
We went to town and the place is a women-only dance school. It's really great considering there are a lot of women who don't dance in front of men, and where else can they go? Anyway, so we went, and the class turned out to be hip hop, not jazz. It was a great class, and I had a lot of fun, and got to do the exercise my body has been so badly craving, but let's just say I'm a lot older than I used to be.
Hip hop isn't easy - if you do real hip hop, it's a lot of rolling on the floor, and my knees and elbows can't exactly take it for too long. Also, the teacher wanted us to end in some position with our legs in the air and head on the floor - yeah I took one look and knew there was no way that was going to happen anytime soon, so I sat up looked in the mirror and smiled.
After the good workout in class, my roomie and I went to the Ben Yehuda area and stopped by a goodbye party for one of the she'arim girls. We kept walking onto a restaurant called Gong. It's a sushi restaurant! In Israel! I didn't know they had sushi restaurants in Israel, but apparently there are quite a lot of them. After waiting for about an hour, we finally got our food, and it was really good sushi. Not like American sushi, but it was really really good.
I have to say, this being my 5th time in Israel, that it never ceases to amaze me that I can just go to practically any restaurant I want and get kosher food. It's like, I never have to think about it - I can just go, and it's Kosher. It's really really awesome. Although it does make it a bit difficult to go back to the states. I mean I do live in New York, the metro area and city with the most amount of Jews and most amount of Kosher restaurants in the entire US, so I do have it a bit easier than those who live in Arizona, lets say, but still, it's a culture shock.
Then she told us ways to get over anger, hatred, and ill-feelings. Very useful, because who really doesn't have anger towards somebody. She did say the best way to avoid holding hatred is to tell the person how you feel - tell the person what he/she did to make you angry. I guess it's good that I'm as honest as I am. :)
The rest of the day was great - learning more about Yocheved (mother of Moshe) and why she was so special, more about King David and the Tehilim he wrote, more about Muktza, and more Perkei Avot.
After classes, my roommate said she was going to a class, so I asked her where she was going figuring it was a shiur (lecture/discussion of Torah). She said she was going to a Jazz class. I said, "Dance? I want to go!" So we went to a dance class.
We went to town and the place is a women-only dance school. It's really great considering there are a lot of women who don't dance in front of men, and where else can they go? Anyway, so we went, and the class turned out to be hip hop, not jazz. It was a great class, and I had a lot of fun, and got to do the exercise my body has been so badly craving, but let's just say I'm a lot older than I used to be.
Hip hop isn't easy - if you do real hip hop, it's a lot of rolling on the floor, and my knees and elbows can't exactly take it for too long. Also, the teacher wanted us to end in some position with our legs in the air and head on the floor - yeah I took one look and knew there was no way that was going to happen anytime soon, so I sat up looked in the mirror and smiled.
After the good workout in class, my roomie and I went to the Ben Yehuda area and stopped by a goodbye party for one of the she'arim girls. We kept walking onto a restaurant called Gong. It's a sushi restaurant! In Israel! I didn't know they had sushi restaurants in Israel, but apparently there are quite a lot of them. After waiting for about an hour, we finally got our food, and it was really good sushi. Not like American sushi, but it was really really good.
I have to say, this being my 5th time in Israel, that it never ceases to amaze me that I can just go to practically any restaurant I want and get kosher food. It's like, I never have to think about it - I can just go, and it's Kosher. It's really really awesome. Although it does make it a bit difficult to go back to the states. I mean I do live in New York, the metro area and city with the most amount of Jews and most amount of Kosher restaurants in the entire US, so I do have it a bit easier than those who live in Arizona, lets say, but still, it's a culture shock.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Living and Learning in skirts
I woke up, got ready, totally not excited about the long trek up the stairs to She'arim, but actually excited about classes starting. I'm not going to go into the details of each class, but I'll mention some of the good stuff, that is, if I remember it.
The first class I was in was way above my level - we were reading from the Chumash (Torah) and then reading commentary by Rashi - okay, so Rashi kind of writes in his own language and isn't exactly easy to read. Most people actually take a course just on learning how to read Rashi commentary. I have never taken such a course, so I had no idea what was going on. After the class, I switched into the less difficult level, and things were much easier for me. They were still challenging, but it the nice, sort of self-satisfying way.
Going to seminary is an interesting experience for may reasons; the class schedule, the class topic, and the actual place that is seminary. Let me explain.
She'arim is in Har Nof, if you haven't figured that out from my blog yet, and Har Nof is an extremely frummy (religious) town. When I signed up for She'arim, I was told that I should dress modestly, which I figured, since I'd be going to a yeshivah - but also, that I should really dress modestly to respect those living in Har Nof. As in, don't offend the people who live here with your exposed elbows or pants. Granted, it's winter, and I wasn't planning on exposing much of anything to the cold, but, the mere fact that I'm forced to wear a skirt was a little difficult for me to chew. I know it's fickle and shallow, but I really like the fact that I feel comfortable in pants. I don't plan on wearing only skirts every day, and I don't like the fact that I can't walk around my neighborhood in pants because I might offend someone. I don't mind wearing a skirt for the purpose of yeshivah, but when I come home, I want to wear my pants and be happy. That's the first interesting thing.
The schedule of classes is long. Classes start at 8:30, and don't end until 5:30. We get an hour for lunch at 1, and that's our only real break. It's a long day packed with tons of topics - and even the way you do learning is interesting... We'll spend an hour on one topic - I mean we could spend hours and days on one topic... The whole point is to learn as much as possible - and since there are so many rabbis and teachers who have already studied this topic, we get to study those other rabbis' thoughts and research on each topic as well. The classes are well thought out - and each teacher does a bit of speaking, and makes each class interactive.
The main thing that I like about She'arim, is that it doesn't feel at all like they're trying to get you to be more religious - they're giving you topics to learn - they're giving you information, knowledge, and intellectual stimulation. It isn't all halacha (Jewish law) classes - it's about kindness, Women in the Torah, Perkei Avot, Interpersonal Relationships - it's really a good variety of topics that keep you interested and engaged in all of the classes. And many of them give practical applications for the things we learn. It's really interesting and useful.
Sunday's classes were good, but slightly overwhelming, as it was my first day in Yeshivah EVER, but the day went by quickly and I took notes, so I can go back and re-learn what I was trying to learn in class. After class, a few of my apartment mates decided to go down to the Old City. We went to the kotel, davened Ma'ariv (night-time prayer) and walked around, looking at all the beautiful expensive apartments that rich Americans and Anglos live in. The Old City is exactly that - OLD. The Kotel (western wall) has been there for thousands of years, and although it's still standing up just fine, it looks old. I had a spiritual experience there, and we all enjoyed our time. We then went to get dinner, and found this really great cafe with great dairy sandwiches and baked goods. We each got a sandwich and a salad for 39 shekels (about $10) and then each got a hot chocolate muffin-sized cake with chocolate pudding in the middle. OH GOODNESS, it was the best tasting dessert I ever had in my life. I was a happy happy girl, and even though I was full halfway through, I finished it all. It was sooo worth it.
The first class I was in was way above my level - we were reading from the Chumash (Torah) and then reading commentary by Rashi - okay, so Rashi kind of writes in his own language and isn't exactly easy to read. Most people actually take a course just on learning how to read Rashi commentary. I have never taken such a course, so I had no idea what was going on. After the class, I switched into the less difficult level, and things were much easier for me. They were still challenging, but it the nice, sort of self-satisfying way.
Going to seminary is an interesting experience for may reasons; the class schedule, the class topic, and the actual place that is seminary. Let me explain.
She'arim is in Har Nof, if you haven't figured that out from my blog yet, and Har Nof is an extremely frummy (religious) town. When I signed up for She'arim, I was told that I should dress modestly, which I figured, since I'd be going to a yeshivah - but also, that I should really dress modestly to respect those living in Har Nof. As in, don't offend the people who live here with your exposed elbows or pants. Granted, it's winter, and I wasn't planning on exposing much of anything to the cold, but, the mere fact that I'm forced to wear a skirt was a little difficult for me to chew. I know it's fickle and shallow, but I really like the fact that I feel comfortable in pants. I don't plan on wearing only skirts every day, and I don't like the fact that I can't walk around my neighborhood in pants because I might offend someone. I don't mind wearing a skirt for the purpose of yeshivah, but when I come home, I want to wear my pants and be happy. That's the first interesting thing.
The schedule of classes is long. Classes start at 8:30, and don't end until 5:30. We get an hour for lunch at 1, and that's our only real break. It's a long day packed with tons of topics - and even the way you do learning is interesting... We'll spend an hour on one topic - I mean we could spend hours and days on one topic... The whole point is to learn as much as possible - and since there are so many rabbis and teachers who have already studied this topic, we get to study those other rabbis' thoughts and research on each topic as well. The classes are well thought out - and each teacher does a bit of speaking, and makes each class interactive.
The main thing that I like about She'arim, is that it doesn't feel at all like they're trying to get you to be more religious - they're giving you topics to learn - they're giving you information, knowledge, and intellectual stimulation. It isn't all halacha (Jewish law) classes - it's about kindness, Women in the Torah, Perkei Avot, Interpersonal Relationships - it's really a good variety of topics that keep you interested and engaged in all of the classes. And many of them give practical applications for the things we learn. It's really interesting and useful.
Sunday's classes were good, but slightly overwhelming, as it was my first day in Yeshivah EVER, but the day went by quickly and I took notes, so I can go back and re-learn what I was trying to learn in class. After class, a few of my apartment mates decided to go down to the Old City. We went to the kotel, davened Ma'ariv (night-time prayer) and walked around, looking at all the beautiful expensive apartments that rich Americans and Anglos live in. The Old City is exactly that - OLD. The Kotel (western wall) has been there for thousands of years, and although it's still standing up just fine, it looks old. I had a spiritual experience there, and we all enjoyed our time. We then went to get dinner, and found this really great cafe with great dairy sandwiches and baked goods. We each got a sandwich and a salad for 39 shekels (about $10) and then each got a hot chocolate muffin-sized cake with chocolate pudding in the middle. OH GOODNESS, it was the best tasting dessert I ever had in my life. I was a happy happy girl, and even though I was full halfway through, I finished it all. It was sooo worth it.
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