4/2/10
First, to continue what I didn't say about yesterday.
During the adventure around Mt. Scopus, we walked around the old neighborhood where Year Course used to be based, saw Beit Rikulus - the old Year Course center, experienced how difficult the old Jerusalem section used to be, and got falafel! By the way, it totally pays to be a girl in Israel. Free falafel balls, that's all I'm saying... ;) It was really cool to the see the old Year Course through our Madrich's eyes. Even in 2004-2005, things were so different here. Security was insane because of the tale end of the Entafada, no one was allowed on public transportation, classes consumed the chanichim, and any ideas of roaming around J-ru were a fantasy. Not sure I would have liked that all! Why bother spending three months in Jerusalem if you never even got to the Old City? I suppose that's why they changed the scheduling around for this year so that our classes are spread out, but you'd think that that realization would have been made earlier... hmm... I also got my first experience of "the small Jew world". Everyone on Year Course knows tons of Jews and runs into friends, family, ex-madrichim, etc, around the country. I don't know anyone in Israel and was never part of a Youth Movement, so I don't really have those moments, but yesterday, I DID! My Madrich took us to HUC to see his friend Jacob. Turns out, Jacob was one of the Madrichim on my Yam el Yam (sea to sea) hike during Nitzanim special interest week in 2008! I felt connected to the little Jewish bubble. =D
Okay, on to today!
IT SNOWED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, so it wasn't enough to settle and play in, but it was flakes in the sky and that's millions more than I've ever gotten in Los Angeles! IT. WAS. AWESOME.
I've now made 10 penguins: Gambling, Victorious, Marva, Pomegranate, Jewish, Bookworm, Fancy, Phantom of the Opera, Puppet, and "Woman, feed me". I LOVE MAKING PENGUINS!
Ulpan was boring as usual... =(
My Genesis class was really great today. We talked about Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, and different ways to interpret and gain perspective from it. I've always been taught that the sacrifice was a way to test Abraham's devotion to God, but that always seemed incredibly petty on God's part and incredibly submissive on Abraham's (considering he had fought so hard for Sodom and Gomorra, why wouldn't he fight for his son?). Today though, we read a passage discussing the possibility that once Isaac was born and the family was on their happy way to fulfill God's wish of Lech L'cha (go forth), there was too much security and God put forth this challenge to Abraham to show him that there were always going to be challenges along his journey, and he should never be overwhelmed by his blessings. I like this interpretation so much better than the former because it focuses on an actual human lesson instead of God being picky. Its lesson also applies to today and how one should never take things for granted.
On the apartment front, I'm overwhelmed and frustrated with double standards and hypocrisy, but I'm not going to get into that because I've already let it out to several people and it's not going to do anyone any good for me to rant again.
I MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!
Love,
Rachel
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