This past week, all of the teachers were on vacation because of Sukkot. Everyone decided to go on different trips, some people leaving the country to go to Berlin, and others taking small day trips throughout the country. I decided to go a different route and signed up for an organized program with Livnot U'Lehibanot. Livnot U'Lehibanot means "to build and to be built". Everyone in the program got to explore Tzfat and the local area through hiking, as well as building the community through community service. We also explored our Judaism and spirituality the entire week. I can easily say that this was the most incredible week of my time in Israel thus far. I met some of the most amazing people, pushed myself more than I thought possible, and reconnected to my Jewish roots and love of Jewish music. Lets dig into the seven days.
Sunday 12.10
I arrived at Tzfat around 2:30 in the afternoon. Lucky for me, I was traveling with Rebecca, another fellow from Rehovot, who had already been on a Livnot program. She was able to guide me to the campus. It was unbelievably hard to push my suitcase around on the hilly streets of Tzfat.
When I walked onto campus, I ran into my friend Matt, another fellow teaching in Netanya. He had already made friends with two boys, Mason and Keith. Both Matt and Keith were from Long Island, and it was surprisingly nice to be back around the New York accent and attitude. We began poking fun at each other from the very beginning; the start of a beautiful friendship. The four of us, along with two girls named Dafna and Dani, decided to look for a local brewery. We had a few hours until orientation and thought it would be a fun way to kill time. We couldn't find it and ended up at the Citadel instead. The Citadel at one point was a large Crusaders fortress. It was also one of the mountaintops used to set bonfires. The bonfires would signal to neighboring towns the beginning of a Jewish month or other important event.
When we got back to campus, most of the group had arrived and we started orientation. It was similar to that of any other group. Everyone did introductions and explained a bit of who they are and what brought them to Livnot. Everyone was in Israel for different reasons so it made for a really interesting mix of people. Everyone also came to Livnot for different reasons. Some of us were really excited to hike and explore the countryside, while others were excited to help build the local community. It was evident from the start that this week was going to be really unique because the group was so unique. Everyone brought something special to the program. There was even a decent number of countries represented: the US, Israel, Kazakhstan, Canada, England, Scotland, Turkey, Denmark, and I believe Sweden. With so many different people in the group, there was going to be so much to learn.
Then we had our first group dinner. Everything at Livnot, including means, is communal. We all chopped fruits and veggies together, cooked together, and cleaned together. It was one of the few times I actually enjoyed doing the dishes (even though they never seemed to end).
After dinner, the real excitement started: we went on a night hike. No one used flash lights, so we had to completely depend on each other and our own instincts to figure out where we were going. About 10 minutes into the hike, our group leader, Shlomo, told us about an optional challenge. We were to run down the rest of the hill and scream at the top of our lungs. We just had to trust in ourselves. Matt immediately threw his backpack at me and started running. This completely threw off my balance and when I started to running, I ended up gracefully sliding down the hill. One of the other girls in the program came running to me and took me by the hand. She went down the rest of the hill with me at a slower but still slightly a run pace and didn't laugh at me when I said that I was uncomfortable screaming for no reason. It was beautiful to have a complete stranger come to my aid even though she could have easily ran past me as everyone else did. When we were all at the bottom of the hill, everyone explained what the run meant to them. It seemed like everyone felt free to some extent. I guess I still have to work on that letting go and feeling free. Eventually I'll learn to scream.
We continued on with our hike until we arrived at an empty cement pool. We sat around it in silence and enjoyed the sounds of nature. This turned into a discussion about the importance of silence. People jumped in to give their input here and there. It was fascinating to see how silence was beautiful for some people, but horrifying for others. Some people loved silence because they could reflect on their thoughts, while other people enjoyed staying silent so that they could listen and learn from others. Some people found silence really hard. They did not know how to silence their own thoughts and just relax, or sitting in silence made them anxious. With it only being the first night, there was no voice recognition, making this conversation also happen in visual silence. No one knew who was saying what. It made the experience that more interesting because you had to listen to everyone. You couldn't zone in or out if it was a person you didn't want to listen to. You really got to learn from everyone.
Once again, we continued our hike and another optional challenge came up. You could either stay on the grave road, or push yourself through the harder, thorny, winding road. I chose the latter. I knew I would end up with all kinds of cuts and scratches, but I found the idea of going through a tough challenge with impaired vision really intriguing. I fell a few times, but learned that it was okay to fall. A lot of people fear the idea of falling, literally and figuratively. But during this challenge, I realized that the worst thing that can happen when you fall is that you simply get back up. Sometimes it is harder to get up, but eventually you will. I would say the optional challenge was a success.
We finished the night with some star gazing, singing and dancing. I wish I had known at that point how much singing and dancing we were going to be doing throughout the week. I may have saved my voice a bit.
When I walked onto campus, I ran into my friend Matt, another fellow teaching in Netanya. He had already made friends with two boys, Mason and Keith. Both Matt and Keith were from Long Island, and it was surprisingly nice to be back around the New York accent and attitude. We began poking fun at each other from the very beginning; the start of a beautiful friendship. The four of us, along with two girls named Dafna and Dani, decided to look for a local brewery. We had a few hours until orientation and thought it would be a fun way to kill time. We couldn't find it and ended up at the Citadel instead. The Citadel at one point was a large Crusaders fortress. It was also one of the mountaintops used to set bonfires. The bonfires would signal to neighboring towns the beginning of a Jewish month or other important event.
When we got back to campus, most of the group had arrived and we started orientation. It was similar to that of any other group. Everyone did introductions and explained a bit of who they are and what brought them to Livnot. Everyone was in Israel for different reasons so it made for a really interesting mix of people. Everyone also came to Livnot for different reasons. Some of us were really excited to hike and explore the countryside, while others were excited to help build the local community. It was evident from the start that this week was going to be really unique because the group was so unique. Everyone brought something special to the program. There was even a decent number of countries represented: the US, Israel, Kazakhstan, Canada, England, Scotland, Turkey, Denmark, and I believe Sweden. With so many different people in the group, there was going to be so much to learn.
Then we had our first group dinner. Everything at Livnot, including means, is communal. We all chopped fruits and veggies together, cooked together, and cleaned together. It was one of the few times I actually enjoyed doing the dishes (even though they never seemed to end).
After dinner, the real excitement started: we went on a night hike. No one used flash lights, so we had to completely depend on each other and our own instincts to figure out where we were going. About 10 minutes into the hike, our group leader, Shlomo, told us about an optional challenge. We were to run down the rest of the hill and scream at the top of our lungs. We just had to trust in ourselves. Matt immediately threw his backpack at me and started running. This completely threw off my balance and when I started to running, I ended up gracefully sliding down the hill. One of the other girls in the program came running to me and took me by the hand. She went down the rest of the hill with me at a slower but still slightly a run pace and didn't laugh at me when I said that I was uncomfortable screaming for no reason. It was beautiful to have a complete stranger come to my aid even though she could have easily ran past me as everyone else did. When we were all at the bottom of the hill, everyone explained what the run meant to them. It seemed like everyone felt free to some extent. I guess I still have to work on that letting go and feeling free. Eventually I'll learn to scream.
We continued on with our hike until we arrived at an empty cement pool. We sat around it in silence and enjoyed the sounds of nature. This turned into a discussion about the importance of silence. People jumped in to give their input here and there. It was fascinating to see how silence was beautiful for some people, but horrifying for others. Some people loved silence because they could reflect on their thoughts, while other people enjoyed staying silent so that they could listen and learn from others. Some people found silence really hard. They did not know how to silence their own thoughts and just relax, or sitting in silence made them anxious. With it only being the first night, there was no voice recognition, making this conversation also happen in visual silence. No one knew who was saying what. It made the experience that more interesting because you had to listen to everyone. You couldn't zone in or out if it was a person you didn't want to listen to. You really got to learn from everyone.
Once again, we continued our hike and another optional challenge came up. You could either stay on the grave road, or push yourself through the harder, thorny, winding road. I chose the latter. I knew I would end up with all kinds of cuts and scratches, but I found the idea of going through a tough challenge with impaired vision really intriguing. I fell a few times, but learned that it was okay to fall. A lot of people fear the idea of falling, literally and figuratively. But during this challenge, I realized that the worst thing that can happen when you fall is that you simply get back up. Sometimes it is harder to get up, but eventually you will. I would say the optional challenge was a success.
We finished the night with some star gazing, singing and dancing. I wish I had known at that point how much singing and dancing we were going to be doing throughout the week. I may have saved my voice a bit.
Monday 13.10
We woke up and had a nice breakfast while watching some Israeli news. Nothing too special about that, but what came after was spectacular.
We went and painted an after school center for youth! We painted the entire inside as well as the railings for the staircases outside. We painted the inside with a water based off white color. Lucky for those who used this, it came out of their clothing and was easy to wash off their hands. Those of us painting the railings weren't as lucky. We used a bright green oil based paint that stuck to everything to touched. It took many showers to get it off my skin. In the middle of painting, Shlomo came outside and said, "Optional challenge! Who wants to break stuff!" Who was I to say to no to breaking things! All of a sudden, he started throwing old dry wall out the door and onto the street. Megan and I grabbed the dry wall and started bringing it towards to dumpster. Now, here was where the challenge came into play. The pieces were too big to fit into the dumpster, so we had to punch and kick through the dry wall to create smaller pieces. This was the first time I ever really got to punch through anything, and let me say, its exhilarating. I know dry wall isn't nearly as hard as say, wood, but the act of punching and kicking through made me feel incredibly strong and invincible. It gave me this crazy adrenaline rush. If someone ever offers you the opportunity to do this, take it.
When we finished painting, we sat inside the building and admired our work. We also did our first hevruta, which was when we were given a topic and learned together. This hevruta was a story in which 3 men were in a boat together, and 1 man was drilling a hole under his seat. The other two men asked why he was doing such a thing, and the drilling man said not to worry about it because it only affected him. The other two men explained to him that even though the hole is near him, they would all drown. We all discussed how when one person does something, it can affect everyone around them, even if they don't realize. We all have our boats and our sailing companions. Whether we are the ones drilling or someone else is, we have to work together to stay afloat. Needless to say, throughout the week whenever someone was expressing negativity, we would tell them to stop drilling the hole.
After hevruta, we were split into groups and were supposed to do a photo scavenger hunt around Tzfat. My group decided that this was more of an optional challenge and decided to go back to the Livnot campus and take a nap. It was a good nap.
When everyone else arrived home from the scavenger hunt, we took a class on Sukkot. We got to learn about the holiday in depth and we also explored different ways to build a sukkah. It was an interesting class, but due to the already incredibly long length of this post, I'll spare you the details.
Once again, we had a nice communal dinner. To wrap up the day, we watched a movie called August Rush. It was about an orphan who believed his parents were still alive because he could hear them in the music of life. August goes on an adventure and ends up in New York City. He met some interesting people and ended up in some pretty cool places such as Julliard. I won't tell you if he meets his parents or not though. No spoiler alerts necessary.
Everyone else went to bed, but Keith, Mason, Lesley and I decided to go for a walk. While walking on Jerusalem Street, Keith walked up to a moving car and pretended to be a dinosaur. Oddly enough, the people in the car pulled over and started talking to us. I never thought I'd make friends through dinosaur imitations. We met them up at the Citadel and spent several hours just hanging out before heading back to the Livnot campus. When we got home, we were all hungry to say the least. While biting into a pepper, Shlomo came upstairs and found us scavenging the kitchen. He was nice enough to take out the leftover pasta and let us dig in. Twas a great 3 am snack.
We went and painted an after school center for youth! We painted the entire inside as well as the railings for the staircases outside. We painted the inside with a water based off white color. Lucky for those who used this, it came out of their clothing and was easy to wash off their hands. Those of us painting the railings weren't as lucky. We used a bright green oil based paint that stuck to everything to touched. It took many showers to get it off my skin. In the middle of painting, Shlomo came outside and said, "Optional challenge! Who wants to break stuff!" Who was I to say to no to breaking things! All of a sudden, he started throwing old dry wall out the door and onto the street. Megan and I grabbed the dry wall and started bringing it towards to dumpster. Now, here was where the challenge came into play. The pieces were too big to fit into the dumpster, so we had to punch and kick through the dry wall to create smaller pieces. This was the first time I ever really got to punch through anything, and let me say, its exhilarating. I know dry wall isn't nearly as hard as say, wood, but the act of punching and kicking through made me feel incredibly strong and invincible. It gave me this crazy adrenaline rush. If someone ever offers you the opportunity to do this, take it.
When we finished painting, we sat inside the building and admired our work. We also did our first hevruta, which was when we were given a topic and learned together. This hevruta was a story in which 3 men were in a boat together, and 1 man was drilling a hole under his seat. The other two men asked why he was doing such a thing, and the drilling man said not to worry about it because it only affected him. The other two men explained to him that even though the hole is near him, they would all drown. We all discussed how when one person does something, it can affect everyone around them, even if they don't realize. We all have our boats and our sailing companions. Whether we are the ones drilling or someone else is, we have to work together to stay afloat. Needless to say, throughout the week whenever someone was expressing negativity, we would tell them to stop drilling the hole.
After hevruta, we were split into groups and were supposed to do a photo scavenger hunt around Tzfat. My group decided that this was more of an optional challenge and decided to go back to the Livnot campus and take a nap. It was a good nap.
When everyone else arrived home from the scavenger hunt, we took a class on Sukkot. We got to learn about the holiday in depth and we also explored different ways to build a sukkah. It was an interesting class, but due to the already incredibly long length of this post, I'll spare you the details.
Once again, we had a nice communal dinner. To wrap up the day, we watched a movie called August Rush. It was about an orphan who believed his parents were still alive because he could hear them in the music of life. August goes on an adventure and ends up in New York City. He met some interesting people and ended up in some pretty cool places such as Julliard. I won't tell you if he meets his parents or not though. No spoiler alerts necessary.
Everyone else went to bed, but Keith, Mason, Lesley and I decided to go for a walk. While walking on Jerusalem Street, Keith walked up to a moving car and pretended to be a dinosaur. Oddly enough, the people in the car pulled over and started talking to us. I never thought I'd make friends through dinosaur imitations. We met them up at the Citadel and spent several hours just hanging out before heading back to the Livnot campus. When we got home, we were all hungry to say the least. While biting into a pepper, Shlomo came upstairs and found us scavenging the kitchen. He was nice enough to take out the leftover pasta and let us dig in. Twas a great 3 am snack.
Tuesday 14.10
Tuesday was the day of the full day hike. Everyone was super excited, especially because we were told that there was going to be a big waterfall. However, we ended up having to go to a smaller waterfall because we were informed that a dead cow had fell into the big one. Only in Israel folks! We started our hike in the Golan Heights around 8 am. The surroundings were unbelievably beautiful. We came across some old ruins and explored. Lesley thought it was a good idea to climb on top of one. During this genius, some of the rocks fell, but thankfully she caught herself. It could have been a really sticky situation otherwise. It was pretty cool to see the ruins. It was evident that at one point it had been a really lively little town. We continued on our walk, jumping over/walking through little streams, exploring a cave, etc.
Eventually we got to what we were all waiting for: the waterfall. We all quickly changed into our bathing suites and jumped into the water. For those of us that didn't take our time and simply jumped, the freezing water was definitely a shock. Lesley brought her frisbee into the water and we threw that around a bit while other people jumped off some rocks into the waterfall. It was such a refreshing swim! I brought my waterproof phone into the water, but since I couldn't stand, my pictures didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. Oh well. We swam for about an hour before continuing on our hike.
The next interesting part of the hike that we came to were abandoned underground Syrian bunkers. Alex and I thought it would be fun to explore, but naturally I let him go first. After getting about half way through the entrance, I saw Alex freak out and yell, "Abort! Abort!" I couldn't really figure out what was going on and froze. I was in shock, but didn't know what for until I unfroze and climbed out. Turned out that there was a bat and it was flying around, flew right at my face, and then out of the bunker. Needless to say, I am now very glad that I didn't see the bat fly at me. I'm not sure how I would've reacted to that considering I barely knew how to react to just watching Alex freak out. A few other people decided to explore other bunkers, and then we were on our way.
We walked until we got to our next stop, a small concrete pool with probably about a foot of water in it. However, the pond was full of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. It tickled so much, but hey, people pay good money for that! We got it for free! While soaking our feet in water and fish, we did another Hevruta. This time, we talked about the land and harvesting. Too be completely honest, I don't remember most of this conversation because I was too focused on the face that fish were nibbling at my toes.
Once again we started our walk, this time through a little stream. There was barbed wire to our left and barbed wire to our right. Through the stream was our only option because on the other side of the wire were land mines. Even so, the surroundings were still so beautiful. The vines and nature had taken over the barbed wire and you couldn't see it too much. There were also little crabs and other animals crawling around. It was a great way to end the hike. It also ended with Shlomo saying, "Israel: the most beautiful mine fields in the world!"
After our hike and dinner, we did some Jewish learning classes. One was all about tikun olam, or repairing the world. We talked about things we could do to better the world and better ourselves. The second class was a lot more memorial. We sat in smaller groups and talked about what Judaism met to us. We answered several different questions including, "What was your first Jewish memory?", "What did going to synagogue mean to you as a kid?","How did your participation in Judaism change when you left home?", "What is your favorite thing about being Jewish?", and "What is your least favorite thing about being Jewish?" It was really interesting to hear everyone's answers. This religion can be interpreted in so many ways and mean so many things to different people. Each story was remarkable and was clear how being Jewish had changed overtime to each person. I wish I had had the chance to hear the answers to these questions from the rest of the group. It truly allowed for the 6 of us in our group to get to know each other on a different level.
Eventually we got to what we were all waiting for: the waterfall. We all quickly changed into our bathing suites and jumped into the water. For those of us that didn't take our time and simply jumped, the freezing water was definitely a shock. Lesley brought her frisbee into the water and we threw that around a bit while other people jumped off some rocks into the waterfall. It was such a refreshing swim! I brought my waterproof phone into the water, but since I couldn't stand, my pictures didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. Oh well. We swam for about an hour before continuing on our hike.
The next interesting part of the hike that we came to were abandoned underground Syrian bunkers. Alex and I thought it would be fun to explore, but naturally I let him go first. After getting about half way through the entrance, I saw Alex freak out and yell, "Abort! Abort!" I couldn't really figure out what was going on and froze. I was in shock, but didn't know what for until I unfroze and climbed out. Turned out that there was a bat and it was flying around, flew right at my face, and then out of the bunker. Needless to say, I am now very glad that I didn't see the bat fly at me. I'm not sure how I would've reacted to that considering I barely knew how to react to just watching Alex freak out. A few other people decided to explore other bunkers, and then we were on our way.
We walked until we got to our next stop, a small concrete pool with probably about a foot of water in it. However, the pond was full of fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. It tickled so much, but hey, people pay good money for that! We got it for free! While soaking our feet in water and fish, we did another Hevruta. This time, we talked about the land and harvesting. Too be completely honest, I don't remember most of this conversation because I was too focused on the face that fish were nibbling at my toes.
Once again we started our walk, this time through a little stream. There was barbed wire to our left and barbed wire to our right. Through the stream was our only option because on the other side of the wire were land mines. Even so, the surroundings were still so beautiful. The vines and nature had taken over the barbed wire and you couldn't see it too much. There were also little crabs and other animals crawling around. It was a great way to end the hike. It also ended with Shlomo saying, "Israel: the most beautiful mine fields in the world!"
After our hike and dinner, we did some Jewish learning classes. One was all about tikun olam, or repairing the world. We talked about things we could do to better the world and better ourselves. The second class was a lot more memorial. We sat in smaller groups and talked about what Judaism met to us. We answered several different questions including, "What was your first Jewish memory?", "What did going to synagogue mean to you as a kid?","How did your participation in Judaism change when you left home?", "What is your favorite thing about being Jewish?", and "What is your least favorite thing about being Jewish?" It was really interesting to hear everyone's answers. This religion can be interpreted in so many ways and mean so many things to different people. Each story was remarkable and was clear how being Jewish had changed overtime to each person. I wish I had had the chance to hear the answers to these questions from the rest of the group. It truly allowed for the 6 of us in our group to get to know each other on a different level.
Wednesday 15.10
Wednesday started with the typical breakfast and news. From there we learned a few new songs to add to our collection of song sessions songs. We also used these songs just an hour later when we arrived at the old age home. Being that it was Simchat Torah and the people who lived there couldn't go to shul to celebrate, we decided to bring the celebration to them! We went room to room, floor to floor, singing and dancing with the residents. Certain rooms were more active than others depending on the condition of residents. With that being said, each room was beautiful in its own way. It was evident that the residents were ecstatic about our visit. We only stayed an hour, but it was clear how much of a difference that hour made in their day. We met one really incredible resident who hasn't been able to speak for many years now. His wife happen to be coming in when we were almost done and she brought us to an empty room. However, the walls were far from empty. She told us that her husband had been painting or drawing (I can't remember which) for several years now and his worked lined the walls of the room. Slowly, we all looked at each one. They were incredible! I felt like I was looking at this man's life because a majority of them were clearly beautiful memories he held on tightly to.
We returned to the Livnot and prepared for Simchat Torah. At 5:30, we lit the candles and hit the streets! Everywhere we went there was singing and dancing. Tzfat felt like a giant celebration! The entire city came to life. From shul to shul, Yos, Grace and I sang as many different songs we could think of. We didn't want the singing to end just because we weren't in the shul. We visited about four different places. The last one was the synagogue that Rabbi Carlsbach worked at before he passed away. This was by far my favorite. Not only was the women's section the largest out of the four, the women even had their own Torah! It was evident how important equality was to the members of the shul. We spent loads of time singing with the women and getting to know them. They let each of us take a turn standing in the middle of the circle, holding the Torah. There is truly something special about dancing and singing, surrounded by love and warmth while having the Torah wrapped in your arms. It was a feeling I had never felt before. My connection to not only the people but to the Torah itself was something I didn't even feel during my bat mitzah.
When everyone was tired from celebration, we went back to campus for our festive dinner. It must have been a shock to those who thought the singing and dancing was over. It continued throughout the entire meal! We could barely go 15 minutes without someone starting a song. We also started our "Words of Wisdom", otherwise known as WOW, pieces. A few of us had decided that while everyone made food for the body, we would make food for the mind and soul. Everyone had a different approach to their WOWs, each one special in their own way. The WOWs were shared throughout the remainder of the week. I'd go into detail, but for those of you still reading, I commend you. The post is pretty long already.
After dinner, the singing and dancing once again commenced. This was definitely the night I lost my voice. 100% worth it.
We returned to the Livnot and prepared for Simchat Torah. At 5:30, we lit the candles and hit the streets! Everywhere we went there was singing and dancing. Tzfat felt like a giant celebration! The entire city came to life. From shul to shul, Yos, Grace and I sang as many different songs we could think of. We didn't want the singing to end just because we weren't in the shul. We visited about four different places. The last one was the synagogue that Rabbi Carlsbach worked at before he passed away. This was by far my favorite. Not only was the women's section the largest out of the four, the women even had their own Torah! It was evident how important equality was to the members of the shul. We spent loads of time singing with the women and getting to know them. They let each of us take a turn standing in the middle of the circle, holding the Torah. There is truly something special about dancing and singing, surrounded by love and warmth while having the Torah wrapped in your arms. It was a feeling I had never felt before. My connection to not only the people but to the Torah itself was something I didn't even feel during my bat mitzah.
When everyone was tired from celebration, we went back to campus for our festive dinner. It must have been a shock to those who thought the singing and dancing was over. It continued throughout the entire meal! We could barely go 15 minutes without someone starting a song. We also started our "Words of Wisdom", otherwise known as WOW, pieces. A few of us had decided that while everyone made food for the body, we would make food for the mind and soul. Everyone had a different approach to their WOWs, each one special in their own way. The WOWs were shared throughout the remainder of the week. I'd go into detail, but for those of you still reading, I commend you. The post is pretty long already.
After dinner, the singing and dancing once again commenced. This was definitely the night I lost my voice. 100% worth it.
Thursday 16.10
Thursday morning we were able to sleep in. It was much needed rest after a long day of celebration. I woke up at 12:30 and joined a few people upstairs on the balcony. We were Beer-BQing. It was actually a rule that if you BBQ, you had to have a beer in your hand. I of course was put in charge of making the food for the vegetarians. I grilled some veggie schnitzel and veggies. Meanwhile, Shlomo called all of us around the table with the food prep. He told us to watch carefully. To all of our surprise, he picked up a piece of raw chicken and ate it! None of us could believe it! According to Shlomo, he said that there was no salmonella in Israel. He offered the optional challenge of eating raw chicken to all of us, but thankfully no one decided to take that challenge.
Soon after the rest of the group joined us on the balcony for lunch. Everyone was really happy with the food, beer and wine. It was our most relaxed meal and everyone just kind of relaxed. As the meal was coming to a close, we all turned our chairs in a way that would make a stage. It was time for our Rabbi Nachman skits. With everyone just a little bit buzzed, watching the brave actors attempt to act out the story was hilarious. None of them had ever heard the story before. They had to act as they were hearing the narrators explain what was happening. Every action was just a few seconds delayed. I guess I can't be much of a critique though because I was not one of the brave ones on stage. We did two stories. I wish I could remember what they were. If any Livnoters are reading this, feel free to share what the stories were in the comment space!
We had a big communal clean up before heading out to the forest for a meditation session. The sun was just starting to go down and you could see a really beautiful sunset. We were told to find a spot that we connected to and just sit. We could think about pretty much anything. I found a tree that looked much younger compared to the others and felt a connection to it being I was one of the youngest people on the trip. I was amazed that the tree had found its spot and planted roots. I asked the tree how it was able to do that. I've spent the last year traveling around the world. Even before that, I was constantly switching between houses at home and at university. I felt, and still feel, as though I haven't found the right place to sit and grow my roots. As silly as it sounds, I found a lot of comfort from the tree. I felt like eventually I would find my place. Everyone eventually does. I curled up into a small ball next to the tree and drifted off into sleep.
I was awoken when I heard voices from all directions singing one of our song session songs. It sounds like echos coming from all directions. I wish I could truly explain how beautiful it was to hear my friends voices coming closer but also being distant. I felt like I was being called back, which in a sense, I was. We joined back together as a group and a few of us talked about what we had thought about during our mediation.
We had a free night after that, and I can't remember most of what I did with that free night. I know at one point though I went on a walk with Matt. As stated much earlier in the post, we known each other before the program. It was really wonderful to spend time with him and just catch up on things. We both knew that we were going to Livnot, but we had both decided to take advantage of all the new people we could meet and friends we could make. It was nice to get back and reconnect with him.
Soon after the rest of the group joined us on the balcony for lunch. Everyone was really happy with the food, beer and wine. It was our most relaxed meal and everyone just kind of relaxed. As the meal was coming to a close, we all turned our chairs in a way that would make a stage. It was time for our Rabbi Nachman skits. With everyone just a little bit buzzed, watching the brave actors attempt to act out the story was hilarious. None of them had ever heard the story before. They had to act as they were hearing the narrators explain what was happening. Every action was just a few seconds delayed. I guess I can't be much of a critique though because I was not one of the brave ones on stage. We did two stories. I wish I could remember what they were. If any Livnoters are reading this, feel free to share what the stories were in the comment space!
We had a big communal clean up before heading out to the forest for a meditation session. The sun was just starting to go down and you could see a really beautiful sunset. We were told to find a spot that we connected to and just sit. We could think about pretty much anything. I found a tree that looked much younger compared to the others and felt a connection to it being I was one of the youngest people on the trip. I was amazed that the tree had found its spot and planted roots. I asked the tree how it was able to do that. I've spent the last year traveling around the world. Even before that, I was constantly switching between houses at home and at university. I felt, and still feel, as though I haven't found the right place to sit and grow my roots. As silly as it sounds, I found a lot of comfort from the tree. I felt like eventually I would find my place. Everyone eventually does. I curled up into a small ball next to the tree and drifted off into sleep.
I was awoken when I heard voices from all directions singing one of our song session songs. It sounds like echos coming from all directions. I wish I could truly explain how beautiful it was to hear my friends voices coming closer but also being distant. I felt like I was being called back, which in a sense, I was. We joined back together as a group and a few of us talked about what we had thought about during our mediation.
We had a free night after that, and I can't remember most of what I did with that free night. I know at one point though I went on a walk with Matt. As stated much earlier in the post, we known each other before the program. It was really wonderful to spend time with him and just catch up on things. We both knew that we were going to Livnot, but we had both decided to take advantage of all the new people we could meet and friends we could make. It was nice to get back and reconnect with him.
Friday 17.10
Once again, breakfast and news. We had a quick clean up because we were starting our Chalabration! Shabbat was coming and we needed to make enough challah to feed all of us! It was really fun because everyone got to make at least one challah. Some people did the traditional 3 braid or 6 braid challahs. Other people got a bit more creative. We had a challah that looked like Medusa and a challah that looked like a dragon. I went with the basic 3 braid challah. I knew I wouldn't be upset to eat it. If I had made something really creative, I would've just wanted to look at it instead of eat it. That wasn't an option.
While our challahs were cooking, we went to the Blue Valley Nature hike. The hike was more of a walk, as we were walking through a nature preserve. It was much more relaxing than our Tuesday hike. The preserve was gorgeous and full of different animals. We saw swans and deer. We also learned a lot about the olive tree. I had no idea that one tree, over time, breaks apart and eventually will even look like two trees! At the end of the walk, we found ourselves at a very small swimming pool. Ignoring the no swimming sign, a bunch of the boys immediately jumped in. It was very small and could only hold about 3 or 4 people at a time, so we had to take turns. I initially wasn't too keen about the idea of going into the water because I was wearing jean shorts and had no other clothing option. Jeans take incredibly long to dry and it was the only clean clothing I had left. But alas, my curiosity got the best of me and I jumped in. Everyone had been saying that it wasn't too deep and that they could stand. For some reason, I thought that that would apply to me, even at 5 feet tall. Boy was I wrong. Matt and Brandon had to hoist me out of the pool because I was unable to get out myself.
Everyone enjoys watching different people jump in and out of the pool while also eating all the snacks we had brought with us. Myself personally, I was just trying to dry off as much as possible.
We walked back to campus and prepared ourselves for Shabbat. Once everyone was ready, we lit the candles and Shabbat began! Similarly to Simchat Torah, this dinner was full of singing every 15 minutes and in between courses. Everyone scoured the tables to see if they could find the challahs they made that morning. Since my challah was a traditional braid, I was more interested in simply eating challah than searching for challah. It was delicious, as was the rest of the meal.
We cleaned up dinner as quick as we could because we were having Oneg afterwards. We put a small table on the floor and places cushions and pillows on the floor to sit around. We all grabbed either beer, wine, or water and some snacks. In order to take a sip of our drink, we had to share a Jewish story or experience. Many people thanked each other for allowing their week to be what it was. One Jewish story that really stuck with me was one that Megan told. It was about a man who lived with his wife and kids in a one room apartment. He told his rabbi that he was feeling like he didn't have enough space. Each night, the rabbi told the many to put more of his animals in the apartment. By the final night, the man, his wife, his children, their stuff, a cow, a goat, and two chickens were crammed into the apartment. The next night, the rabbi told the man to take the animals out of the apartment. It was the best nights sleep the man got. The reason why I loved the story so much is because it shows how people take for granted what they have. It is always easy to want more and feel as though you need more. However, it is crucial to be grateful and to love what you already have.
The other thing we did at oneg was go around the circle giving compliments to each other. We had to first give a compliment to the person on our left. I was lucky enough to have been giving a heart warming compliment from Mason and lucky enough to give a heart warming compliment to Yos. What was more incredible was that afterwards, we had to give ourselves a compliment. It is so easy to always forget the good things about yourself. It made each of us really think about how beautiful we are. This took a long time and people we dosing off when it wasn't there turn, but those of us who stayed awake learned a lot about the group. Although I can't say I stayed awake much longer after that. Matt and I both fell asleep, half cuddling on the living room floor around 4:30 am. We woke up a bit after 5 to find that only a few people we still awake and breakfast had already been set up for the morning.
While our challahs were cooking, we went to the Blue Valley Nature hike. The hike was more of a walk, as we were walking through a nature preserve. It was much more relaxing than our Tuesday hike. The preserve was gorgeous and full of different animals. We saw swans and deer. We also learned a lot about the olive tree. I had no idea that one tree, over time, breaks apart and eventually will even look like two trees! At the end of the walk, we found ourselves at a very small swimming pool. Ignoring the no swimming sign, a bunch of the boys immediately jumped in. It was very small and could only hold about 3 or 4 people at a time, so we had to take turns. I initially wasn't too keen about the idea of going into the water because I was wearing jean shorts and had no other clothing option. Jeans take incredibly long to dry and it was the only clean clothing I had left. But alas, my curiosity got the best of me and I jumped in. Everyone had been saying that it wasn't too deep and that they could stand. For some reason, I thought that that would apply to me, even at 5 feet tall. Boy was I wrong. Matt and Brandon had to hoist me out of the pool because I was unable to get out myself.
Everyone enjoys watching different people jump in and out of the pool while also eating all the snacks we had brought with us. Myself personally, I was just trying to dry off as much as possible.
We walked back to campus and prepared ourselves for Shabbat. Once everyone was ready, we lit the candles and Shabbat began! Similarly to Simchat Torah, this dinner was full of singing every 15 minutes and in between courses. Everyone scoured the tables to see if they could find the challahs they made that morning. Since my challah was a traditional braid, I was more interested in simply eating challah than searching for challah. It was delicious, as was the rest of the meal.
We cleaned up dinner as quick as we could because we were having Oneg afterwards. We put a small table on the floor and places cushions and pillows on the floor to sit around. We all grabbed either beer, wine, or water and some snacks. In order to take a sip of our drink, we had to share a Jewish story or experience. Many people thanked each other for allowing their week to be what it was. One Jewish story that really stuck with me was one that Megan told. It was about a man who lived with his wife and kids in a one room apartment. He told his rabbi that he was feeling like he didn't have enough space. Each night, the rabbi told the many to put more of his animals in the apartment. By the final night, the man, his wife, his children, their stuff, a cow, a goat, and two chickens were crammed into the apartment. The next night, the rabbi told the man to take the animals out of the apartment. It was the best nights sleep the man got. The reason why I loved the story so much is because it shows how people take for granted what they have. It is always easy to want more and feel as though you need more. However, it is crucial to be grateful and to love what you already have.
The other thing we did at oneg was go around the circle giving compliments to each other. We had to first give a compliment to the person on our left. I was lucky enough to have been giving a heart warming compliment from Mason and lucky enough to give a heart warming compliment to Yos. What was more incredible was that afterwards, we had to give ourselves a compliment. It is so easy to always forget the good things about yourself. It made each of us really think about how beautiful we are. This took a long time and people we dosing off when it wasn't there turn, but those of us who stayed awake learned a lot about the group. Although I can't say I stayed awake much longer after that. Matt and I both fell asleep, half cuddling on the living room floor around 4:30 am. We woke up a bit after 5 to find that only a few people we still awake and breakfast had already been set up for the morning.