The beginning of a new week

Photo: Aaron and Penina overlooking Old City

I don't think I will ever be able to get used to going to school on Sundays. Yes, it's true that I taught on Sundays last year and that I don't have class this semester on Thursday. None of that really matters when faced with a new school week starting on Sunday. I am always groggy and my brain doesn't seem to work right.

I had a great Shabbat though. Aaron was visiting for the past week and it was wonderful. On Shabbat, I got to meet some of his friends who live here now. On Friday night, we had a nice dinner with camp friends and heard funny stories about camp antics et al. In the morning, we went to Kedem for Hannah's last Shabbat. It was a long service with a drawn out pesukei (to wait for the Shacharit leader who never showed in the end) in addition to the added stuff for Rosh Chodesh. The drash was a bit kooky with imagery of Israel's birth out of the Godly womb and the newly born people of Israel suckling manna from God's breasts. It was sad saying goodbye to Hannah who has been one of my closest friends this semester. It will not be the same without her!!

We had lunch with some of Aaron's Conservative Yeshiva friends: Leah Solomon of the Anim Zmirot bencher fame, her husband Elisha and super cute baby, Avi, and Aaron's former hevruta, Ben. It was fun getting to know them and watching Avi play, squirm and make sounds. Fortunately, we beat the rain storm on the way home and slept away the rest of Shabbat.

We awoke to the howling wind and rain pelting the windows. There really is no point in carrying an umbrella with all of the wind, though it could help with the heavy splashing from passing cars. The cab company didn't answer the phone so we braved the elements to meet up with Dave and Alyssa, friends of Aaron's from UF and camp as well as fellow Schechter student. We finally got a cab after getting a bit wet and headed to Caffit for dinner. It was nice hanging out with them and their visiting family members. But in Israel, things are always a little off, like the fact that Dave couldn't get his beer because they were out of glasses and then when he received it, it didn't look like the .5 liters he ordered. They offered to comp it if they were lying...

On the way out, Aaron accidently taunted the security guard by commenting that it wasn't so bad to be standing near the heater. Nevermind that he was outside in the crazy rain storm and that he was entirely soaked. Still, it was a fun night but it was slightly marred by the fact that the next day was a school day, the day of my Poskim presentation and Aaron's departure. (the last one was more of a major mar).

Saying goodbye is never fun and I did not have an easy time with it. The only saving grace is that I will be flying to the States for my February break to see him and my fam. More incentive to get all my work in on time...Still, I am pretty sad because Jerusalem feels a lot emptier now....