Back in Jerusalem Then Crazy on Purim

So this last weekend I spent in Jerusalem again. However, this time I was being hosted by a friend from home (thanks Des). It was great to be able to see someone from the synagogue back in Tuk-Town (Tukwila, WA). I had a great weekend and got some much needed relaxation. So allow me to relate to you the details of my Shabbat (Sabbath) experience.

So on Friday afternoon at about 1:00 pm a few of us who were going to Jerusalem were sent off in a taxi/bus with a madrich (counselor) to accompany us. Whenever people go to Jerusalem they take a taxi together so that the cost can be split. The ride lasted around 2 hours I think. We had to drop off two people on the way at a moshav (This is a type of community unique to Israel. You will have to look it up for detailed info.) that they were going to be staying at. The ride was nice and it felt good to be entering Jerusalem right before Shabbat. Whenever I go into Jerusalem I feel very good. The hills of the area make it look so picturesque, and when the sun is setting and reflecting off of the city I feel a strong passion for this land. Once we get to Jerusalem they drop us off at the King David Hotel, and then we can be picked up there or take a taxi to our host's residence.

Once at the hotel I took a taxi to my friend Desiree's apartment. I was very happy to finally see a familiar face. We spent the night talking about what she had been doing in Israel for almost the last year. We ate dinner, and I played with her son. It was cool to see how almost a year in Israel affected a kid. He seemed to be very comfortable in a foreign country. However, for some people Israel is more home than where they came from. The food was great. The conversation was wonderul. All in all it was a spectacular Erev Shabbat (Sabbath evening). That night I went to bed a happy person knowing that for a month I had been in Israel doing what I love, and that night I was in Jerusalem. What could be better than Jerusalem on Shabbat.

In the morning we got ready and went to the synagogue that she has been going to recently. I was really excited because I have been getting better at following the services here as I have gone to more and more. I also have learned much about how a service is run by going to different Orthodox synagogues. So it is also an educational experience. When it came time for the Torah service (part of service were Torah scrolls are taken out and read from) one of the men asked me to be the one to take the two Torah scrolls out of the ark (closet were they are kept)(It is not just a normal closet, it's fancy, but I can't think of a better way to describe it.). I was very excited to do this but I couldn't really understand the man that asked me because I don't speak Hebrew. So the man next to me translated. In the end I did it right more or less. After service we went back to her apartment and all took naps after lunch.

After our relaxing naps (and relaxing they were) we went for a walk. We walked up Mt. Herzl towards Yad Vashem (famous holocaust museum) and went for a walk in the forested area around the museum. The area is beautiful, and the hills of Jerusalem make the whole stroll amazingly awesome. After realizing that we were walking to far to make it back before it got to dark we turned around. However, we still returned when it was dark (this means it was officially Purim. Yay!!!!!). So we did havdalah (ceremony for the end of Shabbat), and then I got into a cab to head back to the King David Hotel. I met up with my friends and the counselor who was with us. Then we all rode in the same taxi/bus from Friday back to Hod Hasharon.

Back in the Hod we had to hurry to get our costumes on for Purim then go to the synagogue for a Megillah (scroll of Esther) reading. I was dressed up as a ninja (I know!!! Pretty darn awesome right?). At the synagogue we heard the reading, and then the dance party started. There was a DJ, strobelights, and crazy costumes. Some of my friends were dressed up as Spiderman, Power Rangers, and "random guy in a poncho." The dance was fun. It went on for a couple hours, and we had a great time. That night I slept well.

In the morning we got up and prepared for the parade that we were going to go see. When we got to the parade I saw crazy costumes all over the place. It was really cool to see so many people dressed up for Purim. I didn't watch much of the Parade because it was crowded, and I couldn't really see. So after walking around with some friends for a while we found the rest of the group and sat in a little grassy area for the rest of the time.

Fast forward to the Hod.

Back home we hung out until dinner that evening where we ate with all of the Muss groups on campus. The feast was exquisite (not really, but it was good). Then I went into town with my friends to put together a mishloach minot (It is custom on Purim to give gifts to each other. This is usually done in the form of baskets filled with candy, food, and sometimes little toys. This gift is called a mishloach minot.). We were assigned different people from the group to give a mishloach minot to. So I put together a fancy array of candy for my person. That night at check in we exchanged gifts. I was guite satisfied with what I recieved, and I think that my gift was well recieved.

Well that is the end of my Shabbat/Purim story. I hope you enjoyed it.

Shalom