HEALING

B"H


Friday, August 29th/Rosh Chodesh Elul

Did the rest of my alefbet - the last half wasn't quite as good as the first. The letters' lines weren't as clean. I was really in the Zone yesterday when I did the first ones...oy.
Talked to my sofer about meeting today (2:15) & getting ready for Shabbes. He's also going to help me with Bezeq so I CAN FINALLY GET INTERNET AT HOME!!! YAY! He's my hero! :)
Very little Shabbes prep today - I'm sticking close to home so I won't be all exhausted by the time candle lighting comes around.
Learned with my sofer for over an hour. He made me tea & we went over Khaf sofit, Zayin, Chet & Nun sofit. It was good. I have my work cut out for me.
I didn't actually do much else today - just got ready for Shabbat, which didn't require much as I'm going to their place for both dinner tonight & lunch tomorrow, I have my groceries, the cleaning lady did her job (sort of) &, well, really nothing left to do but to fantasize about accomplishing my Work here...

I lit my Shabbat candles. I sat on the edge of my bed & cried for a while, the whole time repeatedly saying "thank you" to G@d for the precious opportunity I've been given by Kadima to come here & learn & then to do this important work over the next year...
I davenned (prayed) & headed to my sofer's. His wife & kids & Noa & I hung out on the mirpeset (balcony) in the nice breeze for a bit, waiting for him to return from shul (synagogue). Then Anat came. They both work with children. Noa spent her holiday in Tel Aviv last week with my sofer's wife. Anat lives in a slum neighbourhood as a part of a community reclamation project where they teach children, clean away the rubble, plant gardens & help job-train the adults. She's quite amazing.
Dinner was great. The company was terrific. I'm so lucky to know such people! Salmon, Golan wine, discussions of all kinds & Qafeh Tourqi (Turkish coffee). & Wild Turkey bourbon, of course :) My sofer finally passed out reading Mishneh Brurah & a book on Japanese culture. I asked him if he was searching for Torah in the Japanese culture & he replied that the trick is to find Japanese culture in Torah...

Shabbat shalom!