Sitting Under a StairCase
Mood:  chatty
Topic: Simchas Torah
Finally, the last of the Hags have passed. Not to say that it wasn't a superb month to be in the Land, but its honestly a bit tiring. Its like every other day is Yantiff here.

Tsfat was amazing for Simchas Torah. The first night, I went to an all women's minyan. We danced and sang and meditated together. They borrowed a Torah from a conservative shcul and each woman got to hold it while the other women danced and sang around her. What an oppurtunity that I never would have drempt of. I couldn't help but smile wide while I held it, but afterwards I felt incredibly drained and wept. It was amazing and intense. Thirty-odd women loving G-d and surronding me with their energy. Tsfat is really something else.

I lucked out for my meal placements, too. I fulfilled the mitzvah of eating on Simchas Torah at a professional cook's table. Yum Yum. The family served fresh basil and garlic butter with superior challah, homemade miso soup with a Shataki base, brown rice with spicy bean chili, toasted pecan and cabbage and red onion and more... Needless to say, it wasn't your typical Jewish menu. The family was very religous and silly. They sang the After Meal blessings with the tune of the Beatle's Yellow Submarine. They mentioned that 'Yesterday' works as well. Theres a lot more to be said, or not, on this subject....

Today I enjoyed Sfat without the holiday. A series of snapshots of my day:
A walk at dawn around the anciet graveyard
A nap
A very succesful trip to the best Shook in the Land
A visit to the bank, the post office, a bookstore, many galleries, a soup kitchen (just observing), a falafel sandwich being re-rolled half way through by another eater, a stoll with my room-mates and new friends, an elegant dinner at the Art Cafe overlooking all of Sfat, and now here, writing in this blog.

All said, while my day was stellar, it is a very sad day for Israel. I need to read more, but my Yahoo says 5 were killed and 21 injured. Disgusting.

I want to write more, but my time is up.

Love,
Suz