Today I am on the other side of Tisha B'Av. As previously posted, I was filled with ambivilent feelings about experiencing the day here in Israel. However, it turned out to be a very lovely and reflective day.
I prepared for the fast (though I am not required to fast due to the pregnancy, I still ate a final meal as if I was going to fast.) by eating some amazing borekas and blintzes from Borekas Imma, a truly yummy bakery two seconds from Pardes.
Afterward, I joined some colleagues and we walked the 10 minute walk to the Tayelet, the promenade overlooking the city with great views of the Dome of the Rock and other interesting J'lem landmarks like Hebrew U, the rebuilt Hurva synagogue and the separation wall. As the sky grew darker, more and more lights appeared and we were able to see lights all the way to the Dead Sea. We joined up with the folks from Mayanot synagogue, a lovely family friendly egalitarian Masorti shul and listened to the sweet and sad tune of Eicha, the book of Lamentations. It was so mellow that I closed my eyes a few times and let the wind blow over me as I breathed deeply.
The next day started slowly and eventually I made my way over to Pardes for their day of learning. The place was packed and I chose a session that I thought might help me with my conflicting feelings about the day. It was about recognizing the difference between the heavenly Jerusalem and the earthly Jerusalem and how we need both of them to exist in some sort of balance. There can absolutely be tension between them, as there often is, but too much focus on the earthly aspects such as the Kotel, can lead to a form of idolatry and too much of the heavenly can lead to zealotry. In addition, not enough of either will set Jews adrift. That was the thesis presented by Marc Rosenberg...I think the idea of Jerusalem as an anchor is an interesting one and I wonder how it plays out in the lives of so many Jews in the US.
I davened mincha in the egal minyan which was good and I chatted with the other hugely pregnant woman at Pardes who also wears tefillin. Very cool! She's due two weeks ahead of me and looks ready to go. I gotta get home quickly!!
The rest of the day I toggled between work, chatting and reading various news sources online. When the day cooled, I wandered around the peaceful Baka streets and looked at all the nice new constructed apartment buildings. I wove my way to Shai Agnon's house just to see it from the outside. There is a museum there now but it was already closed, but it was cool to see where he lived. Then, I went back to the tayelet and watched Arab kids play soccer and families strolling along.
As the sky darkened, I met up with my hotel mates for the best meal I have had in a while: crepes at the Waffle Bar on Derekh Beit Lechem. OMG was it good!! Plus, the crepes were so big that we could share a savory crepe between two people, and then five of us devoured the dessert crepe of bananas, nutella and Belgian chocolate with a large scoop of Ferrero Roche ice cream. Delicious!
Anyway, today is the last full day of the program, and I am already annoyed by one particular mentor's decision to scold the group which I found very inappropriate. I am hoping that the day will improve and that my presentation of my assessment will be productive and not leave me as devastated as I felt my first day here. Looking forward to letting loose later today!
No comments:
Post a Comment