חג סוכות בבאר שבע, עם גשם

So many residents of Be'er Sheva celebrate Sukkot that it's hard to walk the neighborhood WITHOUT seeing a sukkah. They're made out of just about everything: from tarpaulin and camping material to wood, they're generally fairly eye-catching. Because they follow the Torah's specifications, they all have roofs made from natural materials and they're all placed so they're uncovered by natural or unnatural structures. This means, therefore, that we had quite a few Sukkot blocking our neighborhood's roadways so that it became a one-way street at times.

I spent the first night of Sukkot with my second adoptive family, along with my teaching partner. The host mom (Racheli) is a teacher at my school; her husband is fortunately very good with English (since we still hadn't had Ulpan yet), which he apparently got from living with his parents in Ireland for a few years. We had very good conversations about just about everything, especially when his parents joined the group. Also, the tunes for their prayers and songs were familiar to me (much like at Yom Kippur services) so I had an easy time joining in.

The food was amazing - especially since Racheli took the time to ensure I had vegetarian options to eat. And wow, is she a great cook! We had mushroom soup, mushroom stuffed bread, humus galore, and so much Israeli salad. Have I mentioned yet that I love Israeli food? Because I do! And I'm very much in awe of everything Racheli manages to get done between teaching full-time, being a wife, and being a mother to five children! It exhausts me just thinking about it. Basically, I've decided she's superwoman.

The family's Sukkah was made of tent material, including custom window flaps and a metal frame. The roof was made of thin wooden slats and was decorated with plastic streamers and lights. The walls had Sukkot-themed decorations, which were clearly organized with the help of the children (super cute). They even had an air conditioner, since it can still be pretty warm by that time of year (yet another similarity with Phoenix, AZ)! There was plenty of room for their family of 7, Racheli's in-laws, and my teaching partner and me.

The most memorable moment, however, was when it started to rain during dinner: it began as a sprinkle, but as dinner progressed it intensified and the wooden slats unfortunately let the rain through. It was hilarious, especially the kid's reactions. My host parents were pretty shocked to have actually got rain during Sukkot (I understand that's pretty rare here), and we eventually moved ourselves back into their apartment for dessert. Racheli's husband and two boys stayed the night in the Sukkot though, so all the mitzvot were met.

My favorite takeaway from the night was the chocolate cake and shoko (שוקו or chocolate milk) for breakfast. It's a nice tradition that I've happily adopted for my own special occasions and Shabbat mornings. I enjoyed getting to know Racheli's in-laws, who extended an invitation to stay with them some Shabbat. There's apparently a bit of a singles crisis in Jerusalem: the way she explained it, there were a bunch of single, religious men and women in Jerusalem who weren't making matches with one another. She thought it a good idea to bring me around, I guess to shake out a husband form the crowd of single, religious men? I'm still not really sure just what my limits are with religious significant others, but I imagine I'd figure it out when it came up. Now that I've re-settled, I think I should give them a call. If for no other reason, I've begun to appreciate the wonder of Shabbat in Jerusalem.

I've stayed over Racheli and her family several times since Sukkot and I'm looking forward to spending Shabbat with them again soon. Maybe I'll even wake up on Shabbat morning for tfillah services...

יום כיפור בבאר שבע

In the States, Yom Kippur was one of my favorite of the High Holy Days. I'm sure that means I'm warped and a glutton for punishment, but it's absolutely true. I love the overall theme of cleansing and renewal inherent in the Day of Atonement. I also love the solidarity felt while fasting with your fellow congregants - and Jews around the world. Well, those who fast anyway.

In some ways, Yom Kippur didn't feel like as much of a big deal in Israel. Not that no one observed, but more because so many observed and it was just a matter of course. The country essentially shuts down - so much so, you could take a leisurely stroll along the empty highway if you so chose. The religious fast, wear white, and attend prayer services (called tfillah or תפילה) at their local beit knesset. Overall, however, there's just much less of a to-do in Israel about fasting and prayer than there is in the States. It's a strange paradox, but one I've also felt about Shabbat as well. It is, however, a much more somber event in prayer services. Also, it's possible that because I don't speak much Hebrew I missed out on much of the self-reflection I'm used to during this time of year.

My friends and I found a beit knesset in my neighborhood for worship. It was an Ashkenazic congregation, which means I was thankfully more familiar with the trope used. I was also more comfortable with their style of worship, or rather, interpretation of what "appropriate" dati worship should look like: there was still a mechitza separating the men from the women, yet the women prayed more audibly and were overall more actively involved in the prayers. The men still led, but I felt more at home praying and singing with more volume. Breaking the fast, however, is a very big deal - though food always is around here. I made my now popular stove-top macaroni and cheese recipe - I add garlic and Moroccan paprika to the dish, which basically makes the stuff like crack. I never have leftovers. And man, were we ever thankful to gorge on comfort food after a LONG day of fasting!

I felt very thankful to experience this Day of Atonement in Israel. I was doubly thankful for the ease of finding places of worship within easy walking distance from my apartment. Especially since focusing on prayer does a wonderful job of taking your mind off of hunger and thirst. The naps aren't so bad either. My hope is that next time, I'll be worshipping as part of a congregation here instead of as a visitor. I'd also like to actually understand what everyone's saying and see just how much self-reflection is focused on.

Catching Up: Where Elisa Admits She's a Flake

I haven't blogged since September and I have much to share, so please excuse my tardiness. I'm going to attempt three to four month's worth of blog posts into this month - and then I'm committing to more regular posts.

I'd like to think one a week at minimum is doable, but let's not hold me to it just yet. I'm generally a very dedicated person, but it's really hard to hold me to these things. Well, that and party attendance. I guess I'm an occasional flake. Who knew?

More to follow...