The Annual Jerusalem International Parade 2015

The Annual Jerusalem International Parade: every year in October

What other city in the world has an international parade, with people from all over the world coming to celebrate it, to show love and support for it? Is there a New York Parade with New York loving people coming yearly from all over the world, singing its praise? Or a Berlin Parade? Perhaps a London Parade? No. The Jerusalem International Parade is the only parade in the world to which Israel loving people from all over the world come to show their love and support to this nation.

Watching this parade makes one feel as if it is a scene taken from Isaiah’s End-Time Vision: 

“And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many peoples shall go and say: 'Come and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths.' For out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3).
Other prophetic verses come to mind too: "Many peoples and mighty nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to entreat the favour of the Lord. Thus said the Lord of hosts: in those days it shall come to pass that ten men out of all the languages of the nations shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that G-d is with you" (Zecharia 8:22-23).  "And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Jerusalem shall go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles" (Zecharia 14:16). 

It happens every year during the Jewish holiday of Succot (tabernacles). The streets of Jerusalem fill-up with tens of thousands of people of all colors, nations and tongues, gathered in the city for the Annual Jerusalem Parade. This year we had around 50,000 people who came from all four corners of the world especially for this parade. Grouped according to their nationality, they paraded the streets of Jerusalem under their countries’ flags, wearing shirts with printed slogans such as “thy people shall be my people, and thy G-d my G-d" (Ruth 1:16), singing songs of love of Jerusalem and of Israel, and voicing their emotional support vocally and enthusiastically.

It was a colorful procession. Flags of great many countries were flown up high coloring the streets of Jerusalem with myriad colors and patterns. They came from countries as far away as Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, China, South Korea, South Africa, Kongo, South Africa, the Philippines, Brazil, Norway, Finland, Britain, Switzerland, Holland, Argentina, Bolivia, Panama, Canada, the USA and many many more, including a group from EGYPT! Their flags were waved up high and were then given gladly as souvenirs to the Israeli crowds that were standing on the sidelines, cheering with gratitude. Local children collecting dozens of mini flags were seen everywhere excited at the festive international atmosphere and at the handful of exotic colorful souvenirs they were receiving. To the onlooker it seemed as though this extremely varied crowd is united by one emotion: infallible love strengthened by unshakable faith.

Not only tourists from abroad participated in the Parade. Groups of Israelis from different parts of the country, from different walks of life, participated too and enjoyed a day of good sports and high spirit, a day of visiting their capital city and showing their love and support for it and for its residents. Many of them were reserve soldiers of different IDF units; others were from big companies (such as Israel’s Electricity Company), different banks, the Israeli motorcyclists club, police units.

One of the groups that caught my attention most the first time I watched this parade, as I was standing on the roadside, cheering the paraders along with the crowds, was a group of a few dozen young soldiers dressed in the IDF olive colored uniform, belonging to the Nativ Course of the Jewish Agency and the IDF education corps. This course enables those soldiers who are not Jewish by Halachic (Jewish) Law, to study and learn topics related to Jewish law, to convert to Judaism in the framework of their military service and become Israeli Jews. It was moving to see those young men and women parading proudly in the IDF uniforms and stating their loyalty to this people and to this land.

The Parade itself has a few different courses: a family oriented one and longer ones. The paraders who choose the longer course enjoy a walking tour of the city enlisting a varied assortment of sites laden with historical meaning. Among them throughout the years were the following famous sites:

·        The Ammunition Hill on the northern part of town, a site of an important battle during the 1967 Six Day War, serving today as a memorial site.

·        Mt. Scopus, where one of the campuses of the Hebrew University is located, as well as the Hadassah Mt. Scopus Hospital.  This area was under Jordanian rule until the 1967 war (after Jordan captured it on 1948).

·        The Tzurim Valley National Park at the foothills of Mt. Olives, where a lot of archaeological findings have been found dating as back as the First Temple period.

·        The Valley of Hinnom, where it is said that in ancient times people sacrificed their children to the pagan god Molech.

·        The Sultan’s pool, a dry water reservoir constructed in the 16^th century by an Ottoman sultan. It serves today as an arena for musical performances, among other things.

·        Mishkenot Sh’ananim, the first Jewish neighborhood built outside the walls of the old city of Jerusalem in the 19^th century. It is a charming neighborhood overlooking the old city.

·        Talabiyeh, one of the most prestigious residential neighborhoods in town hosting the formal presidential and the formal prime minister’s residence.

·        Rehavia, a neighborhood designed by the Jewish German architect Richard Kauffman in the spirit of the garden city movement.

·        The Valley of the Cross, where the Monastery of the Cross is situated. According to Christian tradition, in that monastery grew the tree from which the Romans made the cross on which Jesus was crucified.

·        And finally, the Sacher Park, a green lung in the midst of Jerusalem, overlooking the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. In this park a big happening for all the paraders takes place, with different games and attractions for kids and adults alike. It is a chance for everyone to rest, have a picnic in nature and prepare for the final part of the parade. During that rest time there are different artistic performances to entertain the paraders and the crowd.

After the Sacher Park happening and after enjoying some rest, all participants walked in groups one after the other in a ceremonious parade to the final point of the Jerusalem International Parade. Thousands of locals gathered at the sides of the road, supporting and encouraging the paraders.

As they approach the finish line, the announcer announced ceremoniously each of the many groups that approached the line, which in turn received enthusiastic applause from the crowds gathered at the sides. Hugs given, photographs taken, small flags and other souvenirs given as good will gestures to the locals on the sides, all make the whole parade feel like a very festive and exciting event, a special event, an event that one doesn’t get to experience every day.

Here is a short video showing a glimpse of the parade this year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KcH-L8XKDc

Jews all over the world used to pray for two millennia during exile L’shanah Haba’ah B’Yerushalayim, for next year in Jerusalem. So let all of us lovers of Jerusalem pray for next year in Jerusalem, and may it be on the next Annual Jerusalem International Parade on October 2016.

Torah Portion: Nitzavim (Deut. 29:9 - 30:20)

This week's Torah Portion, which will be read this Shabbat in synagogues around the Jewish world is that of Nitzavim. This is one of the four last Portions before the end of the book of Deuteronomy, which is the last book of the Pentateuch (the five books of Moses). When we finish these five books, in about a month from now, we will go back to reading them from the start, from the book of Genesis. Every year we read the entire five books in synagogue, from the Holiday of Simchat Torah of one year till the same holiday of the following year.
Of course, we also read the Prophets. This is done every Shabbat in synagogues after the Torah Reading. There is just so much to say about the Torah portions that I don't write here about the prophet's portions, but it doesn't mean that we don't read them too. The four last Portions of the year are very short, compared to the other ones, but there is so much to say about them.

In our portion, Moses stresses the fact that the covenant that G-d sealed with us on Mt. Sinai is for ALL generations and not with just the people who stood there physically. All of us, including those of us who were not yet born at the time of Mt. Sinai, are obliged by this covenant: "Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath, but with him who stands here with us today before the Lord our G-d and also with him who is not here with us today" (Deut. 29: 13-14). The covenant sealed between G-d and the Jewish people (and those of the nations who join them) is for ALL generations and we are all obliged by it.
And if we don't perform our part of the covenant, G-d will not annihilate us altogether and won't break the covenant with us. Instead, He will fulfill the negative side of this covenant, all the threats we read about in last week's portion (and in so many other places throughout the Torah and the Prophets): the exile, the pogroms, the constant fear, the exile from our land, the desolation of our beloved Land. The difference between a covenant and a regular agreement is that agreements can be cancelled and modified, but a covenant with G-d cannot ever change, and whoever says it can change is lying to himself.
When I read the following verses, I think of the condition in which the Land of Israel was until the beginning of the 19th century:
"And the generation to come, your children that shall rise up after you and the foreigner that shall come from a far land, shall say, when they see the plagues of that land, the sicknesses with which the Lord has made it sick; and the whole land there is brimstone and salt and a burning, that it is not sown, nor bears, nor any grass grows there, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah... which the Lord overthrew in His anger and in His wrath. And all the nations shall say: why has the Lord done thus to this land? what means the heat of this anger? Then men shall say: 'because they forsook the covenant of the Lord, the G-d of their fathers, which He made with them when He brought them forth out of the land of Egypt" (Deut. 29:21-24).

I recommend reading Mark Twain's book, The Innocents Abroad, which was translated to many languages. It is often quoted, and sometimes misquoted. Read for yourself, especially the eleven chapters (chapters 46 to 56) dealing with the Holy Land, and make up your mind. This is Mark Twain's account of his visit to the Holy Land in the middle of the 19th century, not too long ago. In so many places around these chapters he repeats his impressions of how ugly, desolate and cursed the land seemed to him.
I'll quote here just some short quotes out of many, where he describes the land as:
"...sitting in sackcloth and ashes. Over it broods the spell of a curse that has withered its fields and fettered its energies... It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land, a desolate country whose soil is rich enough, but is given over wholly to weeds, a silent, mournful expanse... a desolation is here that not even imagination can grace with the pomp of life and action... There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of the worthless soil, had almost deserted the country".

Chilling, isn't it? Especially when it is read in conjunction with the verses from Deuteronomy above.

But still, G-d in His infinite mercy, has shown us favor and did an unbelievable miracle of bringing us back to our land, as we can all see today (I'm writing to you from Jerusalem, not from any other country), and as is promised, if we repent and return to our G-d: "then the Lord your G-d will bring back your captivity and have compassion upon you and will return and gather you from all the nations where the Lord your G-d has scattered you. If any of you will be dispersed in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there will the Lord your G-d gather you, and from there He will fetch you. And the Lord  your G-d will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it..." (Deut. 30: 3-4). So here I am now, a descendant of my forefathers, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, sitting, as promised, in the Holy Land, in the land of my forefathers, and possessing it, being a sovereign in my land after almost 2000 years of desolation, and with me are Jews from every corner of the world... In Jerusalem you can hear so many languages spoken: English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Amharic, Arabic, what not? Most spoken by people who left their rich diaspora countries and came here, to this little oasis in the desert, surrounded by so many enemy countries. This in itself is a miracle. Whenever I see someone who left the USA or Canada or England or Australia or France to come here, to the Middle East, I know it's a miracle. The hand of G-d is evident in it.

But even now, when the beginning of our redemption has started to manifest, the covenant is obliging, we are obliged to fulfill our part in it:
"If you shall hearken to the voice of the Lord your G-d to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn unto the Lord your G-d with all your heart and with all your soul". (ibid. 10)
And again, as in so many other places around the Torah and Prophets, the connection between our keeping the commandments and sitting in our land is stressed: "...to love the Lord your G-d, to hearken to His voice and to cleave unto Him, for that is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord SWORE to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them" (ibid. 20). Or, to put it simply, we will get to sit in our sworn, promised land only IF we obey G-d's commandments. And this brings me to the beginning of what I wrote today: the covenant is eternal, and is done with all future generations of Jews and those of the nations who join the Jewish covenant with G-d in earnest, to forsake all foreign gods and to observe Shabbat and do all the other commandments.
Those who claim that G-d has forsaken us and broken the covenant with us don't open their eyes to see history in a divine light. Don't they see that all the promises, good and bad, have come true? Why would G-d bother to do it if He has already forsaken us?

I have to bring a quote here from the prophet Amos, describing how the cursed, desolate land, will bring forth its trees and fruit for us when we return to it. And this too has chillingly come true in our days (remember Mark Twain's description of the land, then compare it to what Israel looks like today, 150 years later, and only then read the following verses): "Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when the reaper will be overtaken by the plowman and the planter by the one treading grapes. New wine will drip from the mountains and flow from all the hills, and I will bring My people Israel back from exile, and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens and eat their fruit. And I will plant them upon their land and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, says the Lord your G-d" (Amos 9: 13-15).

They shall no more be plucked up out of their land, which I have given them. I hope our loving neighbors on all sides, and the ayatollahs in Iran, hear and understand this. They will understand that there is no point in trying to drive us out of this land, or out of this world.

How could anyone read these verses and not realize what is going on? What else should happen for people to finally open their eyes?

The process of the final redemption has started with us coming back to our land a century ago. It will take a few more years, maybe dozens, maybe hundreds, I don't know how many, but sure enough, the final redemption has already started and its finalization is just around the corner.
To end with a quote from this Shabbat prophet reading, Isaiah: "And they shall call them the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and you (Jerusalem) will be called sought after, the city no longer deserted" (Isaiah 62: 12). This is here and now.

Shabbat shalom! (And see you again Sunday morning, with a post about Rosh Hashana).

Torah Portion of the Week

What is Torah Portion of the week?

Torah is the word denoting the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the books attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The word Torah means teachings and it refers also to the myriad laws in Jewish Halachah (Law), which are rabbinical interpretations of the five books of Moses and of other rabbinic sources.
The Torah is believed by people of faith to be the Word of G-d, given to mankind through the Israelites by G-d’s servant, Moses. The core essence of the Jewish people revolves around the Torah. In it Israel’s ancient history is outlined: the covenant between G-d and the descendants of Jacob (later named Israel); the exodus from Egypt; the pledge of the Promised Land and the settling of that land; the outlining of the commandments for Israel and for all of mankind to follow, etc.
In fact, it is by the Torah that the Jewish People is defined as a nation. It is probably the only nation in the world that its nationhood is based on its faith (for other nations, it is their geographic location, their language, their ethnicity and shared history and culture, but not their faith; many nations are Christian, but this is not what defines the Swedish people as Swedish or the French people as French).
Even secular Jews in Israel find that their life is affected tremendously by these scriptures, written thousands of years ago. Baby boys at the age of eight days go through a brith – the ritual circumcision, a continuation of a custom from the days of Abraham, whether they are born to secular people or religious ones; adults and kids have the Sabbath day (Saturday) as a day off work or school, even if some don't observe it religiously; everybody celebrates the Jewish holidays with their families in the biblically prescribed time and manner and many people keep Kosher by eating only foods that are permitted in the Torah.
The Torah is the beginning, the foundation of the people of Israel. Despite almost two thousand years of exile and dispersion among the nations (more often than not accompanied by harsh persecution and discriminatory legislature against them), the Jews have managed to preserve their nationhood and faith. Jews in places as remote as Yemen, Persia, North Africa, Eastern Europe, Northern Europe, etc., have all kept their core identity as the Jewish people, as Israel, intact.
Differences in looks, race, color, language and culture abound among the different exiles, with black Jews in Ethiopia, white Jews in Russia, brown/yellow Jews in the Middle East, etc. On the surface, it looks like they couldn’t possibly be ethnically related, but in fact, what they have in common is their Torah based faith and the shared fate that results from it.
It is often said that more than the Jews have kept the Torah, the Torah has kept the Jews. By adhering to the Torah, the founding document of their nationhood, the Jews have been able to keep their identity as a nation and survive everything that has come their way.
In the days of the Assyrian exile, the first major exile the Israelites have experienced, the sacred text was long forgotten and life in exile became devoid of Torah. It might well be because of this detachment from their founding faith that the ten lost tribes of Israel assimilated into the gentiles around them into oblivion. Their biological genes are still in this world, to be sure, but no one knows who their descendants are today.
The remaining tribes, those of Judea and parts of Benjamin and Levy (and a few from every tribe who joined them in faith) survived with their ethnic and religious identity intact and are the Jews of today (the word Jew comes from the word Judea, the main tribe that has survived). Their leaders, Ezra and Nehemia, two scribes, decided to enact a custom by which each week on Shabbat, the Sabbath day, a consecutive portion of the Torah is read in congregation.
To do that, our sages divided the five books of Moses to 54 portions, two more than the 52 weeks in a given year, so that the whole five books are read from beginning to end every year (some weeks two portions are read on the same Sabbath day). This custom continues to our day, and the beauty of it is that in every synagogue around the world, be it orthodox, reform, conservative or other, everyone reads the exact same portion, learns and discusses it in depth.
The circle of reading the Torah starts in the fall, after the holidays of Sukkot (Tabernacles) and Simchat Torah (the Joy of Torah). Each of the 54 portions is named after the first word or phrase appearing in it.
In this weekly blog we will discuss each torah portion in its respective week, the week it is read in synagogues around the world. After 52 blog entries, we will finish a full circle of Torah portions, on Simchat Torah of next year. So if you are in for the ride, you are very welcome to join me.

Moments of Happiness

Yesterday was the Jewish holiday of Purim, when Jews celebrate their salvation from annihilation at the end of Persian Hitler, Haman, more than two thousand years ago. The story of the holiday is detailed in the Book of Esther.

To this day, Jews commemorate the event annually on the month of March with feasting, wearing costumes, eating, drinking, partying, giving presents to each other and giving money to the poor and needy.

Sunday I went with my friend to listen to the story of Esther being read at the synagogue, after which I invited her and her family over to a festive dinner at my apartment. Yesterday I went to a party at another friend's house and later to a party the patients at my work threw for everyone who is related to the organization I work for, staff and patients alike. It was a lot of fun. I was happy going to these two parties. I'm not a big party person, but it was nice to see people happy, making fun of themselves in a nice way, enjoying themselves, the holiday and each other's company.

I was even happier to return home last night and see on the door handle of my apartment a beautiful little bag containing different sweets and a small bottle of wine, which a couple of friends of mine left for me there. It was so heart warming.

With all this partying, I also went to work on both Sunday and Monday. These were busy, but beautiful days.

I was truly impressed with the party at my friend's house yesterday. It wasn't just a party with noise, drinking and music. It was much more than that. To start with, the people who organized the party were my friend's parents. They had a huge festive dinner with lots of good food of every kind for everyone. All of their kids (all grown ups) were there and many of their kids' friends were there too. It was so beautiful to see.

Each of their kids gave a little speech of their own related to the story of Purim and a moral message that can be learned from it. The father, who used to serve as a rabbi in North America, gave a very thoughtful, thought provoking and inspiring speech about life, about connecting the little dots of everyday events and gaining perspective of the bigger picture when time is ripe for it. He is a true believer in G-d and his love for G-d is so beautiful to behold. In the cynical world we live in, finding people who know the truth is such a bliss and I hope to be able to meet many more of them.

This holiday made me feel that I belong. I'm new in Jerusalem, as I moved here only a year and a half ago, and little by little I'm getting to know more and more good people. It makes me happy. I feel that slowly and gradually I'm starting to become a part of the community here and to form my own community of friends around me in this city.

Japan...

My heart goes out to Japan and the Japanese.

It's absolutely disheartening to see what happens there.

The Japanese have been fearing a huge earthquake for a very long time now, and tried to prepare for it as best as they could, using their superb technology and impressive modern methods and devices.

When I see the pictures from Japan, the scene from above looks as if a little child wrecked havoc with his little toy boats, cars and houses. He shook the rug on which they were placed and spilled water over them.

Believers around the world ask themselves what happened there, why did G-d do that to Japan. We have to look at the psychological result of the earthquake and tsunami to understand perhaps why.

When you see such pictures, you realize that no matter how technologically sophisticated man is, Nature overpowers man in an overwhelming way.

There is no way around it.

By wrecking havoc with a part of Japan, G-d perhaps wanted to tell the entire world: "you cannot believe in your own power, you shouldn't trust your own achievements as the answer to everything. Everything you have accomplished is there because I have allowed you to accomplish it. Everything you successfully do, you do because I enable and inspire you to do it. Your powers are limited, so don't over trust them. Instead, you have to realize I AM the source and origin of everything that exists and that happens in this world. I AM the only Power in this world you should really trust and turn to. I AM the only One Truth, so don't blind yourselves with lesser powers such as yours".

I believe the disaster hit in such magnitude in Japan of all places, because Japan is the symbol of man's technological power and accomplishment. Japan has been using all of its technological power to prepare for a huge earthquake they had known would sometime strike. They used everything in their power. But their power wasn't enough to escape the tragedy. Man's power can never equal that of G-d's. And G-d, I believe, wanted to remind the whole world that His power is the only true power in this world.

 

The psalmist reminds us:

"By the word of G-d were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap; He layeth up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear G-d; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was; He commanded, and it stood. G-d bringeth the counsel of the nations to nought; He maketh the thoughts of the peoples to be of no effect. The counsel of G-d standeth for ever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations" (Psalms 31, 6-11).

 

G-d's wrath in Japan is actually a reminder for us all, all mankind, that He is there, and that if we trust Him and acknowledge His presence in every aspect of our lives, we will live in Truth, and our lives will be more meaningful and beautiful.

 

I pray for the surviving Japanese people, who have carried the brunt for us all, to speedily recover and heal.

 

 

A day at the office

These days I work in an organization that helps mentally ill people get rehabilitated and get back to the "normal' world of employment. I personally work with 25 patients and help them through this transition. It's a job very different than anything I had done before and the closest thing to therapy I've ever done professionally. I've been here for four months now and am scheduled to stay here for at least a couple more months, until the woman I'm replacing (who is on maternity leave) will get back to work.

Today my co-workers, most of them are social workers, are on strike, they are not at the office. Together with all other social workers in this country, they demand a raise to their salaries, and I justify and support them in their struggle. They deserve a raise.

So I find myself here alone today, sitting in my office, doing my work, enjoying some quiet time by myself to do things I need to do at work, but also thinking of them and hoping they will get back to work soon. I also enjoy some private time and am able to use my break to write this.

I also work at another place part time, a job that is related to psychological assessment of people who are candidates to different work places or communities, and I enjoy the diversity of my work routine and the chance to meet different people and hear their stories.

I'm so grateful for the chance to have work and be able to provide for myself while living in Jerusalem. I'm also grateful to Hashem (G-d) for giving me the chance to work with people and for them.

I'm not sure how long I'm going to work here for finally, as it may take longer than I think and perhaps I'll decide to stay here for a longer period if the chance arises (not sure about it, though). I'm not sure what I'll do after that, when I'll finish working here. But I am not worried at all. I've felt Hashem's Hand in my life so many times, pulling the strings behind the scenes, presenting me with perfect opportunities at perfect timings and never, not even for one second, leaving me alone or letting me fend for myself. He has always provides and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love for Him. I love Him.

These two jobs that I do these days, that are so meaningful to me at this time, kind of found me without me even having a chance to really look for a job. They found me exactly one day after I told my former boss at my former job that I would like to quit. He wasn't happy about it, he wanted me to stay, but he respected me and so allowed me to leave. I had very good reasons to do so. One day later, I got a random job offer to my inbox from a distant acquaintance of mine. She sent it to many people with whom she had worked in the past in different places. It was a perfect offer at the perfect timing, and I got the job.

Amazingly enough, my former boss had asked me to stay at my former job until November 14th, longer than I had wanted, and a few days later my new boss asked me to start the new job on November 15th...!

They don't know each other and I couldn't have planned it better myself. 

I didn't even have a chance to be unemployed, not even for one day. The new job I started is a part time job and they asked me for 3-4 work days a week. I contacted another place that had once wanted to employ me when I wasn't available and they were happy to hear that I was now available. They asked me to work for them 1-2 days a week, and to start immediately. So together, these two jobs give me a full week of employment (sometimes even 6 days a week, if I choose to), a salary to cover my expenses and leave some more for extras. They give me good and positive work environment and the kind of work-content that is meaningful to me and from which I can learn a lot and help others.

Hashem is so wonderful, great, compassionate and loving, I could never have enough planned things better myself. I don't have enough words to describe all His mercy and glory. He is just amazing, so precise with everything He does and so bountiful! I truly love Him!

 

 

A sunny day...!

It's almost spring time in Israel, and I love Jerusalem in this season. I love Jerusalem in any season, because every season gives it something special, but spring is magnificent here.

Thank God, this winter we've had quite a few rainy days here, and everything looks green and lush because of it. Now, when spring is coming, all the trees and flowers are in bloom too. The city looks gorgeous in this flowery costume of hers.

Today the sun is shining, shedding a beautiful, happy light on the streets and alleys of Jerusalem, nourishing its many plants, trees and flowers, warming every heart of every person on the street. People are happy, smiling to each other, busking in the sun, forgetting for a moment what's on their hearts and minds. The sky is blue and cloudless, and clouds in the heart relating to the terrible earthquake in Japan and the terrible terror attack in Itamar give a little way to the sun to enter the soul and shed its light on it.

On days like this I feel so blessed to be able to live in Jerusalem, to enjoy its beauty and charm, to feel that I'm part of this place, so close to God.

I have a friend here who is a foreigner, but just like me, she feels so fortunate and lucky to be able to live in this most exquisite city. Just like me, she feels that she wouldn't have wanted to live anywhere else in Israel but in Jerusalem.

The special energy of this city is palpable. Yesterday I drove by a rented car to the north of Israel, for work purposes. As I was leaving the city, after a few miles there is a point that whenever I cross it I feel, "here, the special energy is not here anymore, not in the same way", it's something almost physical that you can sense as you leave the area of the Judean Hills.

I know God is everywhere, no question about it, but I feel that He is even more present in Jerusalem. After all, He has chosen His name to be put on this city, and His presence is felt here even more.

It was beautiful driving to the north yesterday, I enjoyed the drive and the scenery, but it was even more beautiful returning to Jerusalem and feeling embraced by the special love of God that prevails in this place in such a bountiful way. 

 

 

 

Living in Jerusalem

I live in one of the world's most beautiful cities, if not the most beautiful of them all. I live in Jerusalem, in the heart of the Judean Hills, on the edge of the Judean desert. It's where I've always known in my heart that I wanted to live.
I felt encharmed and at home here from my very first moment as a new student in town. I fell in love with the campus of the Hebrew University on Mt. Scopus, and spent many inspired and inspiring moments in its secret corners, whose charm never ceased to touch me.
Something about the majesty of the city, reflected from every limestone brick and abundant in the air, got a hold of me, and whenever I'm here I feel like the luckiest person in the world, being able to live in the city I love, the city which so many people around the world yearn for.
I breathe the Jerusalem air everyday and feel that my soul is being uplifted and brought closer to G-d.
Once in a while I feel this strong need and urge to go to the Old City, where the Western Wall is, and be immersed in the presence of G-d, the Shekhina, even more. Hashem (G-d) is everywhere, but He is even more near the Western Wall, one of the few remnants of the Holy Temple.
Whenever I'm there, I feel my soul opens up to a huge channel of communication to Hashem, and I know He hears me even more when I go to pray to Him there.
I call G-d Hashem, literally "The Name" in Hebrew, since out of respect, awe and reverence to Him, we're not supposed to invoke His name in vain. Baruch Hashem, "Blessed be His Name", is a colloquial expression in spoken Hebrew of our days. A normal conversation between two people, not necessarily very religious, might go something like this: "how are you?" -"Baruch Hashem, everything is good".
As a child I was told I should ask God at the Western Wall for anything that I wanted. I remember going there and asking for good marriage for my uncle, for career success for my other uncle, for success for myself at school, etc. All of my requests were materialized in reality, which was a good boost for my young spiritual life.
So now I finally live here.
I rent a two room apartment in Rehavia, one of the nicest neighborhoods in town. It's a magical neighborhood, with beautiful white brick houses, lots of trees and colorful flowers all around, and a very special human atmosphere too.
Other neighborhoods and parts of the city are gorgeous too, including the German Colony, Katamon, Ein Karem, Beit Hekerem and more. Perhaps I'll talk about some of those places in the next posts.