A Shabbat Experience

All week I had been excited to spend my Shabbat in the "Gush" with two of my teachers. They always have students in their homes for Shabbat, and the anticipation had been building since I heard about other students wonderful experiences.

We (Hannah, Yishai, and Amber) left Jerusalem around 1:30, which was way too early, but we didn't want to be late for Shabbat! It was wonderful that we were early because we got to help make challah.

Yishai and Hannah making challah! 

We're ready for Shabbat!!!! 

Fun challah shapes! 

Right after candle lighting we went to shul at a beautiful synagogue right in the middle of the town. There were two, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi. The outsides were parallel structures, but the insides were very different and reflected each culture. Kabbalah Shabbat was traditional and relaxing, followed for Maariv. 

We then we went Michael's (my academic adviser at Pardes) house for Shabbat dinner. They have five children, but only four were at home. One was in a neighboring community for a Bar Mitzvah. I cannot describe how much love I felt in this home.  All the children were so respectful of each other. The mother had one of the most beautiful voices I have ever heard, and when she was singing the Shabbat prayers it was like the music was going directly into your soul. All the kids couldn't wait for their Shabbat blessings from their dad, and they all had the utmost respect and love for their parents. We listened to a Dvar Torah (a speech about the weekly Torah portion) and sang songs and ate DELICIOUS food! We also answered questions in one of the daughter's school books in Hebrew about the weekly Torah portion which was really fun! Also, their oldest son beat me at 3 games of backgammon, I would call that Shabbat luck. 

After a brisk and chilly short walk home we sat around Tovah Leah's table and talked some more until we were all too tired to schmooze anymore. In the morning, I didn't wake up! And Tovah Leah woke up, but we were late to shul and I missed Michael singing from the Torah! I was really upset! I will have to ask him for a repeat at school this week, I heard he was fabulous and I don't doubt it one bit. 

Lunch was just as warm and loving as dinner the night before. Tovah Leah's cooking is amazing! Her husband is also a wonderful role model of a loving father and husband.  We talked about Torah and Judaism and our lives. And we laughed and sang. 

After Mincha we took a walk around Alon Shvut and Tovah Leah pointed out Jerusalem, Hevron, and other surrounding villages. The place is so beautiful and air is so fresh and clean.  It's hard to realize that these homes are so political when things are so calm and peaceful. From this perspective, it is much easier to understand "the settler movement." Yishai described Alon Shvut the best, he said, "Torah is alive here." And he's right. The entire community is living in the way of Torah, from the smallest Halakah, to the simplest commandments of respecting your parents and love your neighbor. 

It was really a Shabbat, a peace, a love, and an experience I will never forget. 

Standing Together

Over Hanukkah break from Pardes, I had the opportunity to help deliver some much needed winter thermal shirts and gloves to soldiers in the south on the border of Sinai. I went with an organization called Standing Together (http://www.stogether.org/) which buys and delivers items to soldiers in the IDF that the government can't afford.  They also take sweets, like sufganiot, candy, soda, popcorn, bourekas, and in the summer time, ice cream.  

It was really an incredible experience and I hope to do it again soon! These soldiers are so grateful for everything, even a piece of gum! It was a great mitzvah and a great way to show my appreciate to all that they give to my country. 

The best Hanukkah songs are in Yiddush!

"Living in Israel and being Jewish is a struggle."

When I made aliyah a year ago, I knew that I was doing so on the grounds that it would be challenging, not only financially or emotionally, but because Israel is difficult. There is nothing easy about Israel, and maybe that is where her true beauty comes from.

Pardes set up a trip for our community to Hebron. Having been to Hebron two years ago, the announcement of the trip already made me a little uneasy as images sprang into my memory. The early deserted streets, Palestinains walking with their heads down hoping not to make eye contact, settlers strolling with AK47s over their shoulders. Hebron is not an easy city to visit. I wouldn't say that it is dangerous, many of our IDF soldiers are keeping it's streets quiet and safe, but this city is existing as a polar opposite to what I wish for Israel in terms of peace. I want to live in Israel peacefully with my neighbors, neighbors of all religions. And as Eve (last name) one of our speakers stated, peace is only real when two sides are living together. Peace is not when one side is removed. 

 This visit to Hebron was different, we started with a tour of Tel Hebron (the excavations of the biblical city) followed by a tour of the Tomb of the Patriarchs, (which I loved!), we listened to a representative from Breaking the Silence, an organization designed to change the way that soldiers interact with residences in Hebron. Afterwards we listened to two different settlers living in Hebron about their reasons for living their and their hopes for the future. At the end of the day we talked to a Palestinian human rights activist who grew up and is now living in Hebron. Did you just ask yourself, "How long were these students in Hebron?" Well, you're right, it was a long intense day. But I found myself very grateful for the number of views that were presented to me.

 My struggle with Israel was not lessened after my second visit to Hebron, but I did find myself thinking that I made the right decision to live in a country that I love. In a country that I know will be here for me and my children in the future, a country that is always changing and evolving and learning to live peacefully. I know that there are things in Israel that I am not proud of, but there are things in the US that I am not proud of either. And despite these things, I am a proud citizen and know that I have to be here to help make the country better and even more beautiful than when I arrived.

An AMAZING Pardes Day!!

This song was written and performed by Sam Rotenberg, a fellow student and friend, at Pardes! We were having a party in Gemera (Talmud) to celebrate finishing a long, complex, and difficult section. Sam wrote this song in honor of "the end". The Gemera we're learning is about Lost Objects, so in the song you'll hear about losing and finding things.  Obviously, if you have studied this before it's more entertaining, but it's still awesome that something so Rabbinic, can become so beautiful. Enjoy!

The second AMAZING thing to happen today was the start of recruitment for Pardes!! Evan and Kalie (another two incredible students, friends, and classmates) did an intro skit to get everyone (the student body and faculty) excited about recruitment. The skit was hilarious, thoughtful, wonderful!!
!
Everyday at Pardes is better and better! Studying at Pardes was by far one of the best choices I have made in my life! 

http://mosista.co/alwiese

http://mosista.co/alwiese

This is my serious mustache face! Today is the last day of MOVEMBER and thus, the last mustache picture!! If you have enjoyed them and want to help support men's health! Please donate now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the incredible Pardes mustache growing team! They are SO amazing, so far they have raised over $3,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

You can still be a part of this cause!! Donate here: http://mosista.co/alwiese

Second to last day of MOVEMBER!!

Second to last day of Movember!! Don’t miss out helping and being a part of this amazing event!

http://us.movember.com/mospace/961732

A very thankful update!

I know you were all hoping to see a mustache picture, but here is one clean shaven picture! Donations at school for mustaches are going well and I am proud of the money we have raised as a team. This last week we will need to make a pretty big push to finish strong! 

Tonight I am refereeing another football game, and I am pretty sure it's not going to rain, so I am really excited about that! Yesterday I made chicken noodle soup for me and Roi (he is coming to see the game and then staying for the weekend) and today I made pumpkin pie (bought vanilla ice cream) and also made my first challah in Israel! I haven't eaten any of it yet, but everything looks and smells delicious!! The house smelled GREAT today! I am so grateful to be able to share these things with Roi...and I am grateful to have the means to have such nice things surrounding me.  I am grateful that I am studying at an incredible institution that is not only expanding my mind, but also my heart.  I finally feel like I am studying something that is making me a better person, not just a means to an end. 

And most importantly, I am grateful for my family. These are the days that living for from home is nearly torture. Not that I necessarily mess the food (although it's yummy) but I miss being with the whole family and then when everyone leaves, my mom and sister and I sit down with all the leftover desserts (even though we swore an hour before we could never eat another bite) and retell the funny stories of the day and laugh about all the crazy things that happened.  These are by far the best times and these are things that can't be replaced  by someone else. 

I hope you are all having a wonderful meal of abundance and surrounded by people who's love is overflowing. Happy Thanksgiving!! 

IFL Mustache!

For those of you that don’t know. I am a referee for the IFL (Israeli Football League) and last night was the season opener at Kraft Family Stadium! It was great and I think the teams were really intimated with my mustache!

Super cute mustache!

http://mosista.co/alwiese It's already more than half way through Movember!!! Please donate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, I think this mustache is awesome! Just sayin'

Pardes Mustaches!

First week: 

Second week! 

More people and more mustaches!! Way to go Pardes!! We are raising money for Movember!! Donate to our incredible team here: http://mosista.co/alwiese 

Mustache Shekel Wars!!

Hey mustache lovers!!!! 

 

We are starting shekel wars (originally penny wars) at Pardes! Put your agarot in the containers on the cabinet in the hallway of your learning level.

 

All-new Shekel Wars jars next to Pardes HappyGrams box

The containers say:

 

•  רמת א Level alef
• רמת ב Level bet
• רמת ג Level gimmel
• רמת ד Level dalet
• רמת ה Level hey
• כולל Kolel

 

If you are a “split” learner, please go with the level of your 3-a-week class.

 

You should put all the shekel coins and agarot in your level – whoever has the most shekels at the end of the month will win!!! But there is one catch! If you put shekel bills (paper shekels) into a different level, it will be counted as negative!! For example, say level alef is kicking butt and they have SO many shekels, so someone in level hey says, what are we going to do about this?? We can put a 20 shekel bill in level alef and it will deduct 20 shekels off of their score. 

 

What can a level win, you ask?? Well, first and formost, pride in your level and school for raising so much money for men’s health and for supporing Movember. Secondly, on Thursday December 1st, your class will get freshly baked chocolate chip cookies (and maybe milk)!

 

If you have any questions, please see someone with a mustache…or me!

 

Love, Andrea 

http://us.movember.com/mospace/2037454/ Donate here if you don't go to Pardes!! 

Soul patch!

I know you're digging the soul patch! So have a soul and dig a dollar deep into your wallet and donate!! http://us.movember.com/mospace/2037454/ All the healthy men in your life will thank you!! And so will I!! =)

In case you were going through mustache withdrawal

http://us.movember.com/mospace/2037454/ Please donate a $1 (or more) to help support research from prostate cancer and to help men's health!!! I know that you're all loving these mustache photos, so just $1!! Read about where your money will go...http://us.movember.com/about/ 

Thanks in advance!!

Shabbat mustache!

Roi joined me today for men's health awareness!!! I hope you like our mustaches!!! Shabbat shalom...and after Shabbat donate here!! https://www.movember.com/us/donate/your-details/member_id/2037454

Mustache 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think this one is sexy!

 That's why I'm winking!!

https://www.movember.com/us/donate/your-details/member_id/2037454 Donate, donate, donate!! =) Thank you!!!!!!!! 

Hole in my heart...

I just received this article about bagel shops in Chicago (Kaufmans, our favorite, taking the number one stop) from my mother in the mail yesterday. She is always sending me little things, articles, stickers, pictures, whatever she can to let me know she is thinking of me. But even though she sent me this because it was a cute article about a place to love to visit together. The true message of what she is saying every time she sends me something was way too obvious this time. I love living and studying in Israel...but I know it's not easy for my family and especially my mom, we are best friends, and I know it's not easy for them (my family) to always be so supportive of me when I go away because I know it is a truly painful thing for them that I don't live close to home.  And I hope they know that I appreciate their support and love even when it is such a hard thing for them to do. I love you and I can't wait to see you in March! 

My Movember

I think I am the only girl at my school doing Movember to help raise money and awareness for men's health. But I think it's so important for society, I think men's health is something that people over look, especially cancer in men. And let's face it, there are a lot of important men in my life who's health I really care about! So here is my mustache, check back everyday to see a new mustache picture until the end of MOVEMBER! Donate here: https://www.movember.com/us/donate/your-details/member_id/2037454 

Shabbat shalom! שבת שלום!!!

My table is ready! Tomorrow for lunch we're having a vegan Shabbat at my house! I made vegan chili. quinoa (a grain) with pomegranate and apple, and everyone else is bringing the other things! It'll be lovely. =)

I have a great story from the week for Shabbat! I was in my Humash class and we were learning the gemertria, and my teacher told us to add the number of the letters of our name..Andrea אנדריאה is 270...if you write 270 in the simplest form it is רע which is "bad" in Hebrew! I was SO sad! My name means bad?!?! (In Hebrew they actually write 270 as ער instead so no word can mean bad.) I was really upset and my teacher was like, really? What's your Hebrew name? And I said דורית Dorit, and he said, that's not 270..that's 620 and 620 is a great number in Hebrew, and I almost yelled, "and 620 is my birthday!!!!!!!!" (June 20th) and he said WOW!! gemertria in action!! (Because gemertria is suppose to be somewhat mystic.) 620 is also significant in Judaism because there are 613 commandments given in the Torah and seven rabbinic commandments instituted later for a total of 620!! Needless to say, I felt pretty awesome! 

Shabbat shalom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

MOvember!

Movember is a changing the face of men's health! Men all over the US and world are growing mustaches in order to raise money to help fight prostate cancer!! You can read all about it at their website here. 

Pardes has a team led by Evan Remer, the guy in the picture with the big handle bar mustache. He has gotten other students and faculty to join him in raising awareness for this cause! 

The link to donate to the Pardes team is here! 

Check back here in two weeks and then again at the end of the month to see picture updates of these fine men's progress!! 

I also joined the Pardes team despite my lack of mustache, you can donate directly under my name if you click here!! =) Thanks in advance!