To Give and to.... Give

Chesed are acts of kindness and that has clearly been the central theme of the last few days in Israel. I could begin explaining the last few days in a million ways, but somehow, all of my catchy titles seem to fall underneath the category of the chesed I have both been a part of and witnessed in Jerusalem.

Yesterday was my first day of school and it was absolutely incredible. I was so nervous before I got there and then walked in and was even more nervous. Finally, I heard Osnat's voice through the door and I was immediately put at ease. Osnat was my Navi (Prophets) teacher this summer and one of the most influential people who I have met in Israel. We hugged and hugged and I started class right by her side. Within minutes, it felt like August 5th, the day after I left this summer. We began studying and breaking apart the words in the text and I realized how amazing it felt to feel so intellectually challenged. It's so difficult and languages definitely do not come naturally to me. I'm not a quick learner at all! But after three hours of class, I realized that I was smiling from ear to ear.

In the middle of the day, our school went on a tiyul (trip) to Yad Sarah, a chesed organization located about thirty minutes (walking) away from school. I took the walk with a few new friends and that was all I needed to fall in love with Israel. I saw everything from the cats in/on/under the dumpsters to the never ending construction all around the city. It was amazing to breathe the fresh air and engage in conversations with girls who I'm sure will soon become my closest friends. At Yad Sarah, our tour guide began our day with a video of what Yad Sarah does and its goals and I felt like I was really in the right place. It was incredible the way it spoke about the organization reaching out to the entire country - and not only Israel, but many other countries. We went upstairs to see more of Yad Sarah in action and visited an area designed by occupational therapists that caters to those with disabilities, both major and minor. The goal of this area was to provide people with tools to make their lives easier and more pleasant, such as a stand to hold playing cards for someone who does not have the strength in their hands after a stroke.

The rest of the day was filled with classes and in the afternoon, my new roommate, Sabrina, arrived at school. We left a little early and went back to the dorm together. We quickly realized we both have way more clothes than our little closets can handle but luckily we are the same size so now we just have double the wardrobe. I think it's going to be a great match :) I also met the girl who lives next door to me, Amanda, and we are both applying to the same program at YU for the fall. It's going to be amazing to go through the process with someone else by my side.

On that note - I heard back from Wurzweiler at YU today! And I was accepted! I'm almost positive I am going to accept the acceptance, which gives me so much to look forward to in the fall. It's also nice to know that it's not an 'end all be all' situation and I could always defer or do a portion of it in Israel. It's nice to know that a school like this gives you plenty of options.

Last night was just as great, if not greater, than the actual day. My friend Kate got engaged! And, the best part, all of our close friends got to watch! Her boyfriend set up this amazing night for them at an apartment down the street and we came earlier to surprise her for when it happened. Kate and I lived together this summer and now we're together again so this was definitely something exciting to come back to.

Today I woke up and took a shower... and I must admit, it is difficult being so cold when you get out of the shower. I practically feel like I'm camping. It's hard living with no (I mean, minimal) heat. I really miss heat. I also miss mattresses that are wider than 2 feet and thicker than 4 inches. Seriously, I'm not kidding. But, it's part of the yeshiva-lifestyle and I know there are bigger things to worry about in the world. Yesterday I talked with my friend Yonadov and he tried convincing me how strange it is to go from Israel to America and go to a big bed. I think that's crazy!

I had Chumash today and I realized how little I remember, yet again. So I hope I can start tutoring with my friend Shalva soon. I really need to work on this. I want to get as much as I can out of my learning here but it is difficult if I am continually perplexed by anything and everything in Hebrew. I am so intimidated by the language. I don't know why! I don't use it in taxis or on the bus or while shopping. I almost always can use it but I just get nervous and freeze up. Hopefully, I can get comfortable doing so soon.

The rest of our classes went really well and we had a great chicken lunch. Most people complain about yeshiva food but I tend to like it a lot. Our classes before and after lunch were very interesting, ranging from tsniut and the real laws (hint: different from what you're told are real but actually are not written in a single source) to the International vs. Halachic (Jewish law) Date Lines. All of them were incredibly interesting and I came out knowing so much more than I knew before.

After school my friends and I went across the street to Mercaz HaRav, the Rav Cooke Yeshiva that there was a shooting at one year ago, today. Coincidentally, today is also Rosh Hosdesh Adar, meaning the start of the month of Adar, a very exciting month in the Jewish calendar. The whole city was filled with excitement and firecrackers and people preparing for Purim. At the Yeshiva, thousands upon thousands of people sang and danced, celebrating the dedication of 8 sefer Torah scrolls that were given to the school in honor of the 8 boys who lost their lives a year ago. Seeing the excitement and joy coming out of the whole city surrounding this event was breathtaking. It is practically unfathomable to see how Jewish people come together when bad things happen and truly make the best out of such situations. These scrolls represent life and growth and the true acts of chesed within the Jewish people. The celebration continued down the street, Kanfei Nesharim, which borders our two schools. Uplifting would be an understatement for this event - and standing aside my closest friends, holding each other while dancing, singing, and crying, will definitely go down as one of the most moving moment of my life.

Following these events, it became dark and Rachel and I walked/bussed it up to Geula, a neighborhood filled with excitement and shopping. It is a sea of black and white - representing the Chassidic Jews and their clothing style. We shopped a little and got one of our close friends a wedding present that Rachel is going to deliver to her in two weeks in the United States. Then we went to a nut stand and I had a candied almond and 'm&m''s that were not really m&ms. We also picked up dinner at a take-away place.... and it ended up tasting delicious! I had stuffed peppers and fried fish.

Finally, the night concluded at my friend Maya's vort. I learned tonight that the word 'vort' means 'talk' or 'speech' in Yiddish. It's a party, usually held at the Yeshiva of the husband, for the men and women to gather and listen to speeches about the couple who is about to be married. Then, like all Jewish festivities, it ends with dancing and singing and games with close friends. It was so amazing to see Maya so excited and the speeches given by all of our Rabbaim were so deep and moving. I also got to see so many old, close friends whom I had not seen since the summer. It was great to catch up with them all. I'm really starting to feel like this is the place for me.

I have traveled a lot in my life but I have never seen a place where people are so innately giving by nature. Our Rabbi gave a speech tonight at the vort about the importance of bringing chesed into the home and into the relationship. It is so critical to be a giver in all that you do. In Israel, you experience this every moment of every day. It is impossible not to give. It's the 'cool' thing to do. When Rachel and I were in Geula this afternoon, we gave money to a man asking for tzedakah (charity) on the sidewalk and Rachel began a nice conversation with him about what she studied and her teaching after college. That simple time that she gave to a man who appeared lonely on the side of the road is something rare to witness anywhere else. I have seen acts of chesed over and over again through all of my friends and inside my school that make me filled with joy to be a part of such a wonderful community, but more importantly, such a wonderful country. I cannot imagine being anywhere else.