Issue of Hugs

At Pardes, all my teachers are orthodox, which means they don't touch people of the opposite gender. This doesn't really seem to be an issue, except, I love my teachers! And sometimes, I really want to give them a hug. They are the best!! I can't explain to you how wonderful they are as people, mentors, teachers, (sometimes they feel like parents, in a good way) and even friends. When I returned from student teaching it was so exciting to see all of them after two months away, but can I hug them? Not the male teachers! But I could hug the female teachers. And in a way this made their hugs even more meaningful. (Because I know they don't pass them around frivolously) And to be honest, if I could only hug the male or the female teachers, I'm glad I get to hug the female teachers!! (No offense to any of the teachers!)

Last night we went to Gush Etzion to hike Derech HaAvot (the path of our forefathers) and then go to dinner at one of our teacher's home.  Well, I had the honor of going to one of my favorite teacher's home. (I had been there before for a Shabbat earlier in the year, so it wasn't my first time meeting his wife and family.) And I got to hug his wife (who is amazing in her own right)!!!!!!!!!! And it was wonderful to express my gratitude and love to her. And I'm sure that my teacher knows how appreciative I am of his teaching and guidance without giving hugs, but it was still nice to be able to express it physically to her. Maybe it is more for me, that I want to express my appreciation, but whatever it is, it's something to think about. And I was really happy to be able to hug her!

Bethlehem

Last weekend I went to Bethlehem with some friends from school. There were many tourists there, as to be expected. But it was a gorgeous day, so nothing could really be bad.

We went into the Church of the Nativity and the line to see the spot where Jesus was born was three/four hours long. Well, if you know me, I don't do lines. So I went up to the front of the chapel and went around a barricade. I thought I was being really sneaky, but then I realized the back of my scarf had caught the top of the  metal pole and it fell over with a loud crashing noise! I was going to be caught, so I had to think fast, two Arab men, who were there to rip tourists off, ran up to me yelling, you have to go back! you have to go back! I said, no, I am here to pray and continued forward, then one of the grabbed my arm, as if to pull me back in the opposite direction, and I yelled (in the church) DON'T TOUCH ME!!!!!!!! Well, this really scared them and he immediately let me go. I sat in the front row and admired the details of the church. Then, the other Arab man came up to me and said, "You said you wanted to pray?" and since I couldn't back down now, I said yes. He motioned for me to follow him and I quickly realized he was taking me down the exit into where the 3 hour line was waiting to go, down to the spot where Jesus was born. So I went, happily, to see what was there. Took my pictures, said a little prayer for my friends and family who are Christian and came out.  I was expecting to see the man there with his hand out for a tip, but he wasn't. I think I had scared them even out of that. 

The metal pole I knocked over, and the man in the grey shirt on the right is who grabbed me.

The "spot!"

Back home in Israel

My time in the US went so fast! I'm already back in Israel. It's so weird...I am SO sad and there are so many tears, but going to school today and being welcomed back with so many smiles and hugs felt so good! It was such a turn in emotions. I love studying at Pardes.

So back to the grind! There are only six more weeks until the summer! And then NFTY! 

Only one more day =(

Wow, it has flown by.  I really can't believe that I only get to teach these wonderful students just one last day. We have studied pieces of Tanakh, Mishah, and Talmud. They have read about the "Jewish" life cycle, mitzvot that the father is obligated to do for his son, the importance of creating a strong name for yourself, and they read Rav Kook and learned about following your own path in life to serve G-d.

It really has been a whirlwind and I have been so lucky to work with a wonderful mentor here at Saligman.  She has been supportive every step of the way.  I will really miss the kids and the staff here. It's such a warm school!

Pictures to come soon! 

Wonderful things in a Jewish Day School Classroom!

Happy Purim from Pennsylvania

Me with my youngest "sister" =) 

Student teaching update.

I haven't started teaching yet, but I have been at the school for two days. It's a very small school, just one hallway.  But everyone is so nice and welcoming. The teacher I am working with is really wonderful and we've already started looking at my source sheets and my lesson plans.  Everyday they have presentations called "Stand and Deliver" where they are doing presentations about innovative technology and how it has effected the present day.  Some are very impressive.  Today I shadowed a student and followed her schedule.  It was interesting to see the other classes in the school that aren't Jewish studies classes. There isn't any Hebrew in the school except for Jewish texts and the Hebrew classes themselves.  It's a choice of the school to set up curriculum in this manner.

I can't wait to start teaching next Monday!! 

Article about Beth Sholom

I read about the synagogue when I was in Israel, which is how I knew I wanted to visit.

This is the article. http://www.jewishreviewofbooks.com/publications/detail/a-tale-of-two-synagogues

Beit Sholom Synagogue - Frank Lloyd Wright

The famous Beit Sholom Synagogue built by Frank Lloyd is a minutes drive from where I am staying outside Philadelphia! I went for a tour this morning. Next time you're in Philly you have to visit! It's magnificent! 

Valley Forge and arriving in Philadelphia

My dad and I left Friday morning to drive to Philadelphia. It was a wonderful trip since I normally live in Israel and we only see each other once a year! It was really a treat to spend some time with him! We stopped in Hershey, PA for the night and then went to Valley Forge in the morning. My dad and I are big history nerds! 

My dad with a statue of General Wayne. 

Memorial Arch at Valley Forge

After Valley Forge, I drove my dad to the airport and headed over to the home where I will be staying for the next few weeks. The family I am staying with is amazing! They have three wonderful children and have provided me with a lovely and warm living space. I am so grateful for their openness and hospitality! 

My temporary home! 

Tomorrow is the first day of school!! EEK!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Schechter School Visit!

Tuesday night I drove up to Oak Brook to have dinner with Katie, Jack, and Gail at Cheese Cake Factory. I also saw Katie and Rick's new home, which is gorgeous! Then I continued to Buffalo Grove to sleep at my cousins house to be close to the Schechter Jewish Day School that I observed yesterday. 

My aunt is friends with one of the teachers there and they put me in contact with her. The teacher was so nice and organized an amazing schedule for me! I had the opportunity to see tefilla, Hebrew class, two rabbinics, two bible classes, and a social studies class.  Every teacher I met was so welcoming and excited to have an observer in their classroom! And all the teachers were excited that I am going to teach in Philadelphia!  

Very frontal based seating arrangements. Very good to help these students stay focused.

Social studies classroom. I like the map of China! 

Where community tefilla takes place! 

Some beautiful artwork in the hallway. 

Circle seating. Great for class discussion, but chavruta learning was more challenging because they weren't facing each other. The class was discussing Hannah and her behavior.

Rabbinics! They are studying Lost Objects!!!! I knew everything!! =) Way to go Pardes! I liked this seating arrangement a lot. They are already ready for their chavruta time! 

This was my first time being in a Jewish Day School, and it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I can't even begin to write all of the things I learned. I am so excited to get to Philadelphia and get started!! Thanks to all the faculty that made my day so successful! 

Nerves!

I am so nervous, and so excited! I am flying in two days to the US for student teaching! I am really lucky since I will be able to see my family first in Chicago before going to Philadelphia, but then it will be down to business! I am so excited to see what a Jewish Day School is like and what it is like to live in a Jewish community and to experience living with a Jewish family that keeps Jewish tradition in their home.

I am studying a lot and trying to outline my lesson plans. If I can get those things done and out of the way before I fly I feel like I will be in really good shape for when I show up at school! http://www.pjds.org/ (The school looks AMAZING!!) All my gifts are packed and a lot of clothes too! I am trying to figure out which boots to take! The past three years I have only been home in the summer, so shoes are much smaller and lighter weight to pack! (Tough life I have, trying to decide which shoes to take! I know!)

Pardes has prepared me well! Now I just have to believe in myself!! Philly here I come!!!! 

Some short comments on studying gemara after seven months

The "process" was never something that I enjoyed. I enjoy being a teacher, I didn't enjoy the four years of pedagogy courses I had to take.  I enjoy winning, not the running and practice that it took to get to that point.  I like knowing how long I have to cut a piece a wood to hold up a beam, not the math it took to figure it out.  I enjoy traveling and being in a destination and living in a different place, I don't like the flights, trains, buses, and cars it takes to get there. I just like DOING it. In Halakah I enjoy figuring out the Halakah, the end result. I like seeing if that fits into my life and if I relate to that final "judgement." Maybe I'm vain, to want to an end product, to want to see a city, or something in it's completion. I want a pay off, and I want it now! I want to see the fruit of my labors. And in all honesty, I don't think I'm vain. I realize that the pay off is greater because I worked for it. I am very present in my life, and I don't want someone to tell me to stop and smell the roses, I do enjoy my life, immensely and I find beauty in the smallest of things. I am simply goal driven, and I really like achieving my goals.  

But Gemera isn't about the end or a goal, it is about the circle...and I hate circles. You are always back to where you started.  To state it better, it's like a never ending slinky, like after going around the circle once you are barely a tiny bit higher than where you started, and if I'm stuck in a slinky, I don't even know how many times I have to go around, or if there is an end. And like Meesh's analogy (my teacher had said that learning gemera is like knowing that there is a beach, but we're only working with 2 square meters of sand at a time.), I can't even see the beach! I am just digging in my own two meters square of sand. And what am I doing? Am I inspecting sand? Am I'm digging for water? Should I be making a sand castle?

And so for me, Gemera is about the process and the circle....and making myself do something that is so far against my nature and my being.  To trust in a process that I don't yet understand, a process that seems to have no end, and to pray that one day, not only will there be a beach...water...and waves, baruch hashem, there will even be a beautiful sunset, and I will want to come back to exactly the same place the next night and hope that the sunset was just as beautiful as the one from the evening before. 

Take a load off, Moshe!

I can only imagine how excited Moshe would have been this week to be reunited with his wife and two sons! Yitro, who brought Moshe's family to him, also, like any good in-law brought advise. On the second day of Yitro's visit, (the first day he burnt an offering to G-d) he told Moshe that he was working too hard and had to delegate his responsibilities. Everyday people had been coming to Moshe with their problems and Moshe would tell them what they should do. This sounds like a very important role, and it is. But the people had so many problems, Moshe was busy with this all day!

If we were talking about modern times, we could say that Moshe was clearly overbooked. No time for the gym, no time to go catch a game and have a beer with Aaron, not so much time to have a romantic reunion with his wife...you get the idea. Yitro and Rav Kook both agree, that this is not an appropriate way of life, even if you are serving G-d and your community in every capacity, you still have to take care of yourself.  Personal well-being is just as important as public service, Rav Kook sites a story in the Talmud when two judges are working too hard and their teacher, Rabbi Chiyya, tells them they need to take it easy. Rav Kook summarizes, "That while their public service was truly a wonderful thing, it is not necessary to neglect all other aspects of life...it is clear that personal growth will enhance one's community. Better an hour of productive activity in a fresh, relaxed state of mind and body, than many hours of constant toil in a tired and frenzied state."

This is still a hard lesson for me.  After many counseling sessions in college for anxiety for taking on two many responsibilities, for trying to help too many people and too many organizations, and being nearly worthless because I couldn't take care of the world if I wasn't taking care of myself, I finally started to realize that I couldn't live myself this way.  And this is exactly what Yitro is trying to tell Moshe.  Eventually Moshe is going to be run too thin and he will no longer be a good leader for his people if he tries to keep up this schedule.

So I hope for all you over achievers out there. Take a break, have a glass of wine, go get a pedicure, go for a walk, put yourself first...and most importantly, don't feel guilty about it! Even Moshe had to delegate!! 

A minute with Rav Kook

One quote from my Rav Kook book this week that I really liked is, "What is the essence of prophecy? This unique gift is the ability to look at God's works and recognize in them His greatness." I'm sure there is more to being a prophet then just that, but I like to think that with practice and a good eye I could be a prophetess. =)

On a tad more serious note. In Beshalach (this weeks Torah portion), we finally leave Egypt and cross the Sea of Reeds!!!!!!!!!!  Then Miriam sings a song, and at the end there is a line, (Ex. 15:16):

Until Your people have crossed, O God;
Until the people that You acquired have crossed over.

The Rabbis ask why this is repeated, the "crossing". Some say that it is referring to the Jews crossing the Jordan River, and Jews have had to do this twice in our history. Once with Joshua after 40 years in the desert and G-d giving us the land of Israel at the beginning of the First Temple Period. G-d was very visible at this time, there were prophets and miracles. This is why the first line says, "Your people," because G-d was so present. We were His whether we wanted it or not, G-d was with us.  The other is with Ezra and returning to start the Second Temple Period. This time, it was our choice to return. G-d wasn't visible, prophecies had ended, the Torah had been written, we couldn't see G-d's miracles. But the Jewish people were very active and were reaching out to G-d and grappling with Jewish law and Jewish way of life. The Mishnah was written at this time and the rabbis were very active in the discussion of Jewish law. This is why the Jews are referred to as the people who G-d had acquired, because now we are seeking him.

This is compared to Kook's theory of innate holiness, and willed-holiness. Innate holiness is naturally in our souls. We are born with it, it was passed down through the generations. Willed-holiness on the other hand is based on our merits, efforts, actions, and choices.  Kook said that innate holiness is actually greater than willed-holiness. Just as G-d was with us crossing the Jordan River, G-d is innately with us all the time and we are holy because we are holy. But I feel that without willed-holiness, innate holiness seems empty.  If we aren't striving to be good people, if we haven't trying to help others, if we aren't living in a way that is making the world a better place, what does innate holiness matter? Maybe that it is always there and it's never to late to cultivate?

This is something that I struggle with in Judaism, the concept of a chosen people. Because I believe that all people have the ability to be holy. G-d created all of us, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhist, Hindus, etc. But maybe Kook was referring to all people. And that we can all search for G-d and our actions can be for G-d.  I'm not sure which he means exactly. I do know that he was very liberal for his time and he was criticized by other Rabbis for being so open to secular Jews and Kibbutzniks. 

I would love to hear your opinions or some other sources to help me gain some clarity on these thoughts! 

A "love" Shabbat!

At Pardes, Shabbat is the topic of many discussions and the focus of a lot of study. Last semester I took Halakah (Jewish Law) and the class focused on Shabbat. I have written about Shabbat on the blog in the past as well. I have been trying to create a Shabbat "space." One thing I've done for two weeks now, is not using Facebook on Shabbat. I feel like this has really enhanced my feeling for Shabbat. I love Facebook, I am fairly addicted. But nothing on Facebook is necessary, except for the pictures of Jack, of course. And most of the things on Facebook are complaints. So to help keep my in this holy space and time, I haven't been logging on. 

The other thing I've done for Shabbat is to surround myself by people I really love and want to be with. People who are positive and warm and have open hearts.  Last night I went to a beautiful Shabbat dinner at my best friends, they were great hosts, the food was delicious, we talked about Torah, and laughed a lot. It was a wonderful separation from our usual hard intense week of studying. 

On Shabbat, Yishai and I hosted at our home! Yishai made hummus from scratch!!! It was AMAZING!! One of our guests was gluten free so I made stuffed peppers with lentils, wild rice, and beans. I was nervous, but Roi and his mom helped me and they turned out great! 

I also made green beans with garlic and onion and soy sauce. They are coming into season here and it reminds me of home. In the summer we pick green beans fresh from the garden and this is how my mom makes them! They were great, not as good as when you pick them yourself, (or when Roi or my mom picks them and I stand and watch them) but they were still great! 

Anddddddddd...I had a "love" Shabbat! Because to be honest, Shabbat is really about love and being with people that you love. It was also appropriate because it's a week before Valentine's Day! Plus, my parents had just sent me a big box of candy! So we had Sweet Hearts and Peanut M&Ms. 

 Who doesn't love Valentine's Day candy??? =)

This Shabbat was a beacon of sunshine after a lot of rain last week. It felt so nice to be outside and in Jerusalem. I hope everyone had a wonderful Shabbat with family and friends. In a couple of weeks I will be home with my family and hopefully we'll have a wonderful Shabbat together! 

Rav Kook

Tovah Leah, my teacher for Personalizing Prayer, and Relationships class, cites Rav Kook nearly everyday! I finally realized that I loved almost every quote that she brought from him.  So last week I bought a book that compiles Rav Kook's thoughts on the Parshiot, the weekly Torah portions.





Abraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935) was the first Ashkenazi chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionist Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halachist, Kabbalist and a renowned Torah scholar. He is known in Hebrew as הרב אברהם יצחק הכהן קוק HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, and by the acronym הראיה (HaRaAYaH) which in English means "evidence", or simply as "HaRav." 

Last week, in Bo, Moshe leads the Jewish people out of Egypt and G-d commands us to have Pesach, (Passover) and to not eat leavened products during these days. Rav Kook talks about freedom, and that there are two kinds, one, the well known is to not be enslaved, to not be subjugated. But he also says that we can be a slave no matter our social standing, (and this is my favorite quote from last week,) "What makes us truly free? When we are able to be faithful to our inner self, to the truth of our divine image (tzelem Elokim) - then we can live a fulfilled life, a life focused on our soul's inner goals." When we are truly faithful to who we are inside, we can finally be free of trying to please others, to stop trying to be someone else, and really love who we are. At this moment we are the best we can be, and honestly strive for the things that we actually want and need.

I am sure I will have more from the Parsha and from Rav Kook for you in the future! I'm becoming a big fan!

Ulpan Or at Pardes!

I had ulpan today at Pardes for the educators. We have Hebrew classes for the next four weeks before we go for our student teaching. I am really motivated! I want to be fluent in Hebrew so much!!!!!!!!!!

These are the words I learned today:

להפליץ - to fart
להפציץ - to bomb
לנצל - to exploit
להשוות - to compare - to equal
לשפר את - to improve
להתנגד ל - to oppose
למחות - to protest
מחאה - protest
מחאות - protests
גידול - raise/growth
תנאי - תנאים - conditions
לפחות - at least
צורך - necessity
שיחה - conversation
מסים - taxes
מידע - information
משכנתה - mortgage
תקציב - budget
מפלגות - political parties
משרד האוצר - treasury
מחקר - research
להשפיע - to affect
השפעה - the effect/influence
תמיכה - support

Start studying!!

Arava Tiyul

Over the semester break I went to the Arava, or Eilat mountains in southern Israel with a small group from Pardes. We stayed at Kibbutz Keturah and we had an amazing time! Even some of the new students from the spring semester joined us, so it was great to meet them!

Yishai hiking in his favorite land.

Group picture from the first day hike.

We love TORAH!! Even when hanging on cliffs and mountains! 

Me!! 

The clouds on the 3rd day of the tiyul was amazing! This picture is unreal and barely edited! 

The kibbutz where we were has Israel's largest solar panel field. They want to make more in the south. Considering it only rains down there 5 times a year, I think it's a good place for them!

Me and Yishai hiking! 

Third day..me taking one of the pictures you can see above!

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.