Easy Fast

Today, New Year's Eve, happens to be the minor fast day of the 10th of Tevet on the Jewish calendar. This minor fast runs from sunrise (5:58 a.m. to 5:23 p.m. for me in my current California location) so I woke up at 5:20 this morning and made myself scrambled eggs which, at nearly 2 p.m., has kept me from becoming totally overwhelmed by starvation. Or, maybe fasting is just getting easier for me?

We had a joyous trip to Target a few days ago and today went to Costco. It was overwhelming to see so many products in one place. The American penchant for consumerism has impacted me through my visits to the stores. "Who needs all this stuff?" I thought to myself as people were buying 20-packs of things that the average Israeli would never need nor even want in their lives.

I'm looking forward to starting my Hebrew Ulpan next Sunday back in Jerusalem but am nervous as well because I'll be joining a class that started as a bunch of beginners after Sukkot and while hypothetically they should be at about the same level as I am now - I do hope they're not too advanced nor too far behind my level. They don't use the same textbook so perhaps their vocabulary knowledge will be dramatically different from mine. It all remains to be seen, I suppose.

It was wonderful to be able to spend some time at the synagogue here at home. I was able to tell many stories of Israel to friends who were pleasantly surprised to see me back at morning minyan or Shabbat services so soon. I was shocked to see how much more comfortable and familiar with the daily services than I was during the summer. Practice and daily repetition certainly pay off!

What's That on Your Head?

I have been wearing my kippah when we've been out and about and that has been an interesting experience.

For instance, we went to a garden store and the clerk there asked if the gift we were buying was a Hanukkah present and then proceeded to tell me about his lady friend who is Jewish and this is their first holiday season together and she is buying a Christmas gift for his grandchild but she doesn’t want any gifts from him.

Then at the vet, the vet wished us happy holidays and took our cat in the back for a shot. When she came back up front, she asked, "I haven’t had much sleep – I didn’t wish you a Merry Christmas, did I?" I replied that she had not because I really would’ve remembered that. Then, she proceeded to tell me about her four year old son who has a friend who is Jewish and last year, they went and celebrated Hanukkah at the friend’s house and her son was so cute and yada yada yada.

I'm getting lots of stares with my kippah on and lots of people are taking a double-take in looking at me. I'm really standing out and it's a very strange experience. But, everyone who talks to me wants to connect to me in some way - through knowing someone Jewish or sharing some knowledge of Hanukkah or Judaism. But, the best thing about wearing a kippah out and about is that no one wishes me a Merry Christmas!

Coming to America

So, we're back home in California for a two week vacation to see family, friends, and pets. It's great to be back but I miss Israel and our friends and community there.

We adjusted to California time fairly quickly despite not sleeping much on the flight here. We arrived at 1 p.m. and stayed up until 8 p.m. and then woke up around 5 a.m. and every day since then, we've been on nearly that same schedule. Unfortunately, that's posed somewhat of a problem for morning prayers, which can't be said until nearly sunrise and sunrise is after 7 a.m. here. This morning, for example, I woke up just after 5 and had to wait awhile before I put my tallit and teffilin on. In Jerusalem, I'm not waking up as early but sunrise is nearly an hour earlier than it is here.

We still haven't been to Target or Costco yet - these are places I'm very excited to see while I'm here. But, we have visited the grocery store and Trader Joe's - our first trip there was fairy overwhelming. There were so many products and so much selection and it was all labeled in English. It was all too much!

It has also been very liberating to drive. I hadn't driven in nearly six months before coming back and it was a great thrill to hop behind the wheel and drive. I even avoided honking at everyone and everything all the time, as I've become used to experiencing in Israel.

On the flight home, the stewardess were Americans and it was quite strange to be saying "thank you" in English for the first time in many months. It felt different and unusual to be saying those words because for several months I've said "todah" to everyone.

SeaTac Airport Hanukkah Menorah Controversy

I was appalled by the SeaTac (Seattle) airport's response to Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky's request to install a single menorah at the airport. I haven't read anything that gives the rabbi's point of view and the full story until I found this great article. It's well-written and worth reading in its entirety.

Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah

I was walking around the city this evening doing last-minute errands for our party and my timing was perfect for seeing lit Hanukiot in windows, on porches, and out on the street all around town. It was absolutely beautiful and wonderful. Unfortunately, my photos don't capture the feeling or spirit of Hanukkah that was out everywhere tonight but I will try to take additional photos in another night or two, when there will be more candles and thus more light for my camera.

When we lit our Hanukiah tonight, we were lighting ours at the same time as our neighbor in the building across the street - there we were, two families lighting our Hanukkah candles while watching each other across the street to publicize the miracle of Hanukkah to each other and to the passers-by. It was a festive and wonderful experience.

Tomorrow is our huge Hanukkah party - we expect about 15-20 guests for appetizers, Hanukkah cookie decorating, and a white elephant gift exchange - it's going to be great! Jen's feeling a lot better and has been busy making dozens and dozens of sugar cookies for decorating tonight since the end of Shabbat.

At Shabbat morning services today, the guy who led the Musaf service was fantastic - he chanted much of the liturgy using the tunes from Hanukkah songs. I love Hanukkah music - there are so many songs and tunes even though it's a fairly minor holiday. It's so much fun to be experiencing Hanukkah in Jerusalem.

For those who want to know more about Hanukkah, Lisa Katz has a comprehensive overview of Hanukkah on her site.

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah starts tonight! I'm so excited! I can't wait to see the Hanukiot (plural of Hanukiah - a Hanukkah menorah) lit with candles and oil all around town! I noticed the other night that the Knesset (parliament) building has an electric Hanukiah on its roof that it appears will be lit for Hanukkah.

The weather outside lately and today has been mostly sunny and quite nice. It's cold at night, however. The forecast looks good for almost all of Hanukkah. I look forward to walking around Jerusalem to see Hanukiot over the next few days. Yippee!

But I'm Not 40 Yet

I was thinking about Rabbi Akiva, one of the greatest sages of Jewish history, because he started his Judaic learning late in life, at the age of 40. I found this great quote about Rabbi Akiva on Wikipedia... "He was an am ha'aretz (ignoramus) during his first forty years. During that period he used to say: 'O that I would find a Talmid Chacham (a scholar) and bite him like a donkey." Ouch!

At least one thing I've learned in the last six months has been to not bite my teachers. Good advice!

Exciting Times

Hanukkah is almost here and that means many things - first, we are throwing a Hanukkah party next Sunday and second and most fun, we going home to California for our Hanukkah break!

Hanukkah starts on Friday night which means that it starts on Shabbat and this presents an interesting situation. Since Shabbat candlelighting is Jerusalem is a full 40 minutes before sundown (versus 18 minutes before sundown in the rest of the world), Hanukkah candles need to remain lit for more than an hour (since Hanukkah lights need to burn for a half-hour after nightfall). So, while one can normally use the very colorful small candles for Hanukkah, for Hanukkah which falls on Shabbat, much larger candles need to be used. This year is especially challenging because Shabbat falls within Hanukkah twice.

The grocery store just delivered our groceries - three large boxes of groceries - for our Sunday night party. It's so wonderful that they offer this service because it means carrying less up the stairs for yours truly. Unfortunately, the store did not refrigerate our cold items so I have two items to return to the store which were sitting out since last night.

So, we're going home! We're very much looking forward to our trip home and spending time with family and our pets. We fly on Monday night and arrive mid-day Tuesday. It's nice to fly against the rotation of the earth because it makes one's flight seem so much shorter. I'm sure our jet-lag will show us how wrong I am.

(Not) A Day Off

Last week, when the yeshiva director announced that on Sunday (today) we'd be having a tiyul (field trip), I interpreted his statement of "This is not a free day off from classes" as "This is a free day off from classes!" Yipee! So, I took today off, I missed the trip, and had a wonderful Sunday! Oh, how I miss Sundays and today I had a Sunday. It was amazing, fantastic, super! I'm glad I played hooky.

Shabbaton to Jerusalem

This past weekend, the yeshiva hosted an exciting Shabbaton (weekend retreat) and we all got to go to none other than... Jerusalem! Yes, we spent two extra days at the yeshiva this past Shabbat to have fun and enjoy each other's company even more than usual. Actually, it was pretty fun. Friday morning started with a tour to East Jerusalem, just outside the Old City, to the City of David - the most ancient part of Jerusalem. It was a great tour with a real tour guide who provided an excellent historical overview of the ancient, ancient city. We also went underground to the tunnels under the ancient city. Here's a view of part of East Jerusalem from the City of David...


Then, the yeshiva hosted Friday night services at the synagogue next door to the yeshiva and we had a dinner followed by a really fun game and then at about 9 p.m. it was time for the event I'd planned - the "tish" (which means table). I'd asked a bunch of students and faculty to be prepared to tell stories related to this past week's Torah portion or about Hanukkah, which begins in a week and a half. Most of those I'd asked were prepared and gave nice talks. I also had the room fully stocked with snack foods, beverages, and alcohol. The tish went on past 10:30, which was when I left because it's way past my bedtime.

On Saturday morning, we had a Shabbat service in the yeshiva and it was followed by a really good lunch where I ate my first persimmon, which was delicious and I keep eating them every day since. I did not partake in the afternoon activities because I went home immediately after lunch and fell asleep for two hours. Then, it was practically the end of Shabbat and so I just had to shake my grogginess in time to go to a late night showing of Casino Royale.

For a full overview of everything I missed, see Gabe's Blog Post about the weekend!