B”H
I should take some time to describe the Chaggim in Jerusalem. This is, of course, impossible, but I might be able to give an idea of how I experienced them through my little Mayanot community.
Rosh HaShanah is a fairly cheerful holiday by most Jews, but by Chassidim it is the most austere day of the year. It’s on this day that we must beg Hash-m not only to sustain us physically and spiritually, but we must plead on behalf of the entire universe. Chasidus teaches that Hash-m creates the world anew every moment, and the only time when G-d reconsiders bestowing this great mercy upon us is on Rosh HaShanah. After a month of “The King in the field”, Hash-m dwelling among us during Elul, on this day G-d is seated on his throne of judgement and we cry out for Hash-m to judge us favorably.
I davened by the Yehsiva erev Rosh HaShanah, and by day I went to the Tzemach Tzedek’s shul in the old city. The Tzemach Tzedek, the third Rebbe of Lubavitch, founded that shul almost 200 years ago and it’s one the best synagogues I’ve ever been to. It’s a long davening, and more than one baal tfilah broke into tears in the middle of chazonos.
If you’ve never davened a Chabad Yom Kippur, it’s one of those things you should do before you die. I haven’t been around long enough to compare, but Chabad must have the best approach to Yom Kippur; it’s a whole day of singing and freiliche davening without the slightest bit of gashmius to destract you. Y’K is a time of great simcha by Lubavitchers; Hash-m cleanses us of all our sins to prepare us for the coming year, what could be bad?
The chazzan at the yeshiva for Yom Kippur is an older man who comes from one of those Yerushalmi families that’s lived in Jerusalem for hundreds of years. He has a beautiful voice and wonderful kavonoh. It’s apparently a tradition by them to take snuff, what they call “tabac” in Hebrew, during Yom Kippur davenen, to take your mind off food I guess. He had the hook up too: We started off with banana flavor, then moved to mint during musaf, and he brought out a lemon flavored one at mincha. Every once in a while a little kid would go around with a jar of this stuff, and the davening would be peppered with sharp sneezes for a few minutes.
The Days of Judgement are always overwhelming for me. By always, I mean the past 3 times I actually observed them, and I came away feeling like a big schlepper. I'm just starting out in my tshuvah, and big holidays like that just show me how much further I to go and how much more I have to learn. I suppose that's kind of the point though; It's part of the awe of G-d. No every feels like they had a perfect year, or that they really brought all they could to the davenen, because who amounts to anything in front of Hash-m's throne of Glory? Maybe the Baal Shem Tov, but he was a player.
Kol Tuv,
Yoel David
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Haneros Halalu
B”H
We have less classes this week, thanks to Chanukah, so I finally have time to do some writing. This is a current post, followed immediately by a High Holiday post. I apologize for not being consistent; I want to fill in the past few months as well, but I will definitely try to stay current from now on.
Happy Chanukah!
Chanukah is one of Chabad’s favorite holidays, so we’ve been busy this week. All of our studying was steered towards learning about the holiday; how to celebrate and sanctify it and what it really means. I’ve never talked so much about wicks and flames and olive oil in my whole life. The whole neighborhood is changed too: Every single store in Geula is selling oil, chanukiot, beeswax candles, and every kind of wick you could imagine. Secular folks roll in too, from Tel Aviv. It’s quite sweet to see chareidi hassidim standing in line with women with heels and bleached hair; everyone’s there for the same reason.
First night was Shabbos, so we marched to the Kotel for maariv. It’s a 45 minute walk, and we literally sang and danced the whole way. We took the direct route, through the Arab souk, where we got quite a few funny looks, and many a tourist whipped out their camera’s to photograph us. It was a geshmak davenen too, with more dancing and singing. There were no rabbis at the Yeshiva the whole Shabbos, so the shluchim ran the show, and it was just a fun, freilechin shabbos from start to finish.
Chanukah is also prime time for mivtzoim. Just about every Jew knows about Chanukah, and no one minds lighting a few candles and celebrating a miracle. We’re going out to the Ben Yehuda and Jerusalem’s various malls every night this week, handing out chanukiot, doing public lightings, and dancing in the streets. We set up some big speakers, plug in an ipod with some Avraham Fried, and grab whoever walks by. A huge circle appears in seconds; everyone knows it’s a holiday, and they want to celebrate.
I’m going to Tsfat this weekend. That should be post worthy.
A Freilichin Chanukah!
Yoel David
We have less classes this week, thanks to Chanukah, so I finally have time to do some writing. This is a current post, followed immediately by a High Holiday post. I apologize for not being consistent; I want to fill in the past few months as well, but I will definitely try to stay current from now on.
Happy Chanukah!
Chanukah is one of Chabad’s favorite holidays, so we’ve been busy this week. All of our studying was steered towards learning about the holiday; how to celebrate and sanctify it and what it really means. I’ve never talked so much about wicks and flames and olive oil in my whole life. The whole neighborhood is changed too: Every single store in Geula is selling oil, chanukiot, beeswax candles, and every kind of wick you could imagine. Secular folks roll in too, from Tel Aviv. It’s quite sweet to see chareidi hassidim standing in line with women with heels and bleached hair; everyone’s there for the same reason.
First night was Shabbos, so we marched to the Kotel for maariv. It’s a 45 minute walk, and we literally sang and danced the whole way. We took the direct route, through the Arab souk, where we got quite a few funny looks, and many a tourist whipped out their camera’s to photograph us. It was a geshmak davenen too, with more dancing and singing. There were no rabbis at the Yeshiva the whole Shabbos, so the shluchim ran the show, and it was just a fun, freilechin shabbos from start to finish.
Chanukah is also prime time for mivtzoim. Just about every Jew knows about Chanukah, and no one minds lighting a few candles and celebrating a miracle. We’re going out to the Ben Yehuda and Jerusalem’s various malls every night this week, handing out chanukiot, doing public lightings, and dancing in the streets. We set up some big speakers, plug in an ipod with some Avraham Fried, and grab whoever walks by. A huge circle appears in seconds; everyone knows it’s a holiday, and they want to celebrate.
I’m going to Tsfat this weekend. That should be post worthy.
A Freilichin Chanukah!
Yoel David
Friday, October 30, 2009
B''H
Thoughts about HaRav Chanan Velvel Simcha ben Bryna, may he have an elevation of the soul.
I just heard that Chanan Feld has past out of this world. He had seemed sick before I left for Israel, and I guess his condition just deteriorated as the weeks past. He was my mother’s age, which is too young to leave a wife and three children. Hash-m works in mysterious ways sometimes.
My first memory of him was a my brother’s bris 14 years ago. He was the mohel. He did most of the brisim in the Bay Area for the past 25 years. He probably would have done mine too. I remember my mother was crying because she was so happy that her 2nd son would be circumcised. I was only 8 years old, but that memory was a big reason for my wanting to have my own bris done when I was twelve, before I became bar mitzvah.
Chanan also co-founded that Berkeley Beis Midrash, which is now a small but thriving community that is now suffering greatly from losing him but will, im yiratz Hash-m, continue to be place of torah and tfilah. He taught there every week until he became too ill, and he and his wife brought countless yidn back to yiddishkeit. He was one of the people that guided me to be where I am now, at this great little Yehsiva in Yerushalaim.
I don’t know if this is true, but I heard that Chanan used to be a professional soccer player. He became frum as an adult, m’karev by Rabbi Ferris. He went from not even knowing aleph beis to one of Nor Cal’s most beloved rabbis. He’s even got his own spot in the new Jewish museum.
He’s going to be buried here in eretz hakodesh. I’m sad that I can’t be with our community in Berkeley right now, but my roommate, who knew him also, and I are going to hold a little farbringen in his honor, im yiratz Hsh-m.
Take care all, and may there be only revealed good in your lives.
Yoel David
Thoughts about HaRav Chanan Velvel Simcha ben Bryna, may he have an elevation of the soul.
I just heard that Chanan Feld has past out of this world. He had seemed sick before I left for Israel, and I guess his condition just deteriorated as the weeks past. He was my mother’s age, which is too young to leave a wife and three children. Hash-m works in mysterious ways sometimes.
My first memory of him was a my brother’s bris 14 years ago. He was the mohel. He did most of the brisim in the Bay Area for the past 25 years. He probably would have done mine too. I remember my mother was crying because she was so happy that her 2nd son would be circumcised. I was only 8 years old, but that memory was a big reason for my wanting to have my own bris done when I was twelve, before I became bar mitzvah.
Chanan also co-founded that Berkeley Beis Midrash, which is now a small but thriving community that is now suffering greatly from losing him but will, im yiratz Hash-m, continue to be place of torah and tfilah. He taught there every week until he became too ill, and he and his wife brought countless yidn back to yiddishkeit. He was one of the people that guided me to be where I am now, at this great little Yehsiva in Yerushalaim.
I don’t know if this is true, but I heard that Chanan used to be a professional soccer player. He became frum as an adult, m’karev by Rabbi Ferris. He went from not even knowing aleph beis to one of Nor Cal’s most beloved rabbis. He’s even got his own spot in the new Jewish museum.
He’s going to be buried here in eretz hakodesh. I’m sad that I can’t be with our community in Berkeley right now, but my roommate, who knew him also, and I are going to hold a little farbringen in his honor, im yiratz Hsh-m.
Take care all, and may there be only revealed good in your lives.
Yoel David
Friday, October 9, 2009
I’m going to try my best to catch up to current events. High Holidays will probably need a whole entry of their own.
Mayanot has about 60 bocherim, though during the summer they have almost twice that. The guys are from all over the English and Spanish speaking world. I’m lucky that I can speak both languages, but it makes learning Hebrew that much more confusing. I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally ordered a falafel or tried to buy something in the shuk in Spanish instead of Hebrew.
I was worried my Hebrew would stagnate here, being around Anglos and Latinos instead of Israelis, but there is plenty of opportunity to improve if you’re motivated. We have written Ulpan for 4 hours a week, and spoken Ulpan for 6; most of the guys who have already been here a year or more speak Hebrew fine. I hope I’ll be at that point by the end of my stay here.
Our spoken Ulpan teacher is an older Temani man who we call moreh Atzmi. He’s clever and funny, and speaks with that funny Temani accent. The other teachers are all Chabad rabbis with a few exceptions. The Navi teacher has Rabbanut smicha, and I think our written ulpan teacher does as well. The faculty is a pretty mixed bag overall: There’s a chasid from Antwerp, Belgium, who teachers Chumash, our history teacher moonlights as a dentist, and my Gemara teacher is actually a Mayanot graduate himself.
If I were to go all the classes, including the lectures and tutorials in the evenings, I could literally be studying for 9 or 10 hours a day. Add eating and sleeping and basic hygiene, and I could never leave the walls of the yeshiva if I wanted to. Fortunately, neither I nor most of the bocherim are quite so inclined. Jerusalem is an interesting and exciting city after all, and we make sure to get out at least every week. There’s a group of guys who like to perform on Ben Yehuda; one does devil sticks, one juggles cigar boxes, and another guy does a routine involving a burning rope.
Shabbos is coming early. More later.
Yoel David
Mayanot has about 60 bocherim, though during the summer they have almost twice that. The guys are from all over the English and Spanish speaking world. I’m lucky that I can speak both languages, but it makes learning Hebrew that much more confusing. I can’t count how many times I’ve accidentally ordered a falafel or tried to buy something in the shuk in Spanish instead of Hebrew.
I was worried my Hebrew would stagnate here, being around Anglos and Latinos instead of Israelis, but there is plenty of opportunity to improve if you’re motivated. We have written Ulpan for 4 hours a week, and spoken Ulpan for 6; most of the guys who have already been here a year or more speak Hebrew fine. I hope I’ll be at that point by the end of my stay here.
Our spoken Ulpan teacher is an older Temani man who we call moreh Atzmi. He’s clever and funny, and speaks with that funny Temani accent. The other teachers are all Chabad rabbis with a few exceptions. The Navi teacher has Rabbanut smicha, and I think our written ulpan teacher does as well. The faculty is a pretty mixed bag overall: There’s a chasid from Antwerp, Belgium, who teachers Chumash, our history teacher moonlights as a dentist, and my Gemara teacher is actually a Mayanot graduate himself.
If I were to go all the classes, including the lectures and tutorials in the evenings, I could literally be studying for 9 or 10 hours a day. Add eating and sleeping and basic hygiene, and I could never leave the walls of the yeshiva if I wanted to. Fortunately, neither I nor most of the bocherim are quite so inclined. Jerusalem is an interesting and exciting city after all, and we make sure to get out at least every week. There’s a group of guys who like to perform on Ben Yehuda; one does devil sticks, one juggles cigar boxes, and another guy does a routine involving a burning rope.
Shabbos is coming early. More later.
Yoel David
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Belated inaugural post
Hello,
I promised many people back home I would keep them updated on my escapades in Israel. It’s taken me long enough, but after a month of escapading, I’ve finally been able to throw this blog together. They keep us pretty busy here, and I haven’t been doing much sleeping. When you farbring until 3 AM and then wake up at 6 to study chasidus before davening the next morning, there’s not a lot of time for that.
I realize that many people have been invited to view this blog, and many of them might have next to no idea what I’m talking about. I am, for the beginners, currently in the first week of what will, G-d willing, be a yearlong term of study at Yeshivat Mayanot in the Mekor Baruch neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. I’m not going to bother explaining Jewish terms in this blog, so if you want clarification, contact me.
Getting to Israel was a story in itself. Wrapping tefillin in airports and such things are always memorable, and extremely awkward. The best part of the trip was getting upgraded to first class on the flight to London, seated next to a Welsh scaffolded on his way back from Mexico. The worst part was waiting 2 hours for a taxi that dropped me off an unmarked street and left me to finagle directions out of a guy who spoke only Yiddish. Figures that I wrack my brains for days on how to say “where the heck am I?” in Hebrew and it ends up doing me 0 good.
Mekor Baruch is like that. You’re just as likely to hear Yiddish or English on the street as Hebrew. The Yeshiva is also equidistant from both Machane Ben Yehuda and Mea Shearim. Ben Yehuda is where you go if you want to eat at a swank restaurant and dance your Thursday night away. Mea Shearim is where tourists go see religious Jews in their natural habitat. Mayanot also about a 20 minute walk from the Kotel, so we’re right in the middle of one of most exciting cities in the world. Every few hours I have to just be like “Holy @#$%, I’m in Jerusalem!”
I was blessed with good roommates, baruch hash-m, who don’t wake me up at night and don’t complain about me getting up early. There’s one guy from LA, one from France, and one from Orinda. I just can’t escape the Bay Area. I travel to the other side of the planet to room with a guy who lives 20 minutes from my house. The room isn’t bad either; sometimes we have to fight the cockroaches for pillow space, but we have free wireless internet so all is forgiven.
I don’t know what form this blog will take. I might put some pictures up, but I think I’ll just write mostly. I don’t know how often, probably just when I have time or when I think of things to say.
Shalom,
Yoel David
I promised many people back home I would keep them updated on my escapades in Israel. It’s taken me long enough, but after a month of escapading, I’ve finally been able to throw this blog together. They keep us pretty busy here, and I haven’t been doing much sleeping. When you farbring until 3 AM and then wake up at 6 to study chasidus before davening the next morning, there’s not a lot of time for that.
I realize that many people have been invited to view this blog, and many of them might have next to no idea what I’m talking about. I am, for the beginners, currently in the first week of what will, G-d willing, be a yearlong term of study at Yeshivat Mayanot in the Mekor Baruch neighborhood of Jerusalem, Israel. I’m not going to bother explaining Jewish terms in this blog, so if you want clarification, contact me.
Getting to Israel was a story in itself. Wrapping tefillin in airports and such things are always memorable, and extremely awkward. The best part of the trip was getting upgraded to first class on the flight to London, seated next to a Welsh scaffolded on his way back from Mexico. The worst part was waiting 2 hours for a taxi that dropped me off an unmarked street and left me to finagle directions out of a guy who spoke only Yiddish. Figures that I wrack my brains for days on how to say “where the heck am I?” in Hebrew and it ends up doing me 0 good.
Mekor Baruch is like that. You’re just as likely to hear Yiddish or English on the street as Hebrew. The Yeshiva is also equidistant from both Machane Ben Yehuda and Mea Shearim. Ben Yehuda is where you go if you want to eat at a swank restaurant and dance your Thursday night away. Mea Shearim is where tourists go see religious Jews in their natural habitat. Mayanot also about a 20 minute walk from the Kotel, so we’re right in the middle of one of most exciting cities in the world. Every few hours I have to just be like “Holy @#$%, I’m in Jerusalem!”
I was blessed with good roommates, baruch hash-m, who don’t wake me up at night and don’t complain about me getting up early. There’s one guy from LA, one from France, and one from Orinda. I just can’t escape the Bay Area. I travel to the other side of the planet to room with a guy who lives 20 minutes from my house. The room isn’t bad either; sometimes we have to fight the cockroaches for pillow space, but we have free wireless internet so all is forgiven.
I don’t know what form this blog will take. I might put some pictures up, but I think I’ll just write mostly. I don’t know how often, probably just when I have time or when I think of things to say.
Shalom,
Yoel David
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