AHHH...

בס"ד
27 Tamuz


...a few quiet moments alone in my cool bedroom to relax, reflect, write.
Breathe, too. Breathing is good.

I had such an intense Shabbes! R' Ross, Tzvi, Cigal & I all davened at Yedidya, then retreated to R' Ross & Emily's Yemenite landlord's place for dinner. Our hosts were hardcore-from-the-old-country Yemenite, so their songs were exotic & in beautiful keys, their food spicy & their blessings long & loving. & they were all so smiley! The family had 11 children, 7 of whom were married.

My new housemates plus the woman I'm subletting from invited a few friends over for lunch, so I met more folks. They were great! There was a woman named Ayelet (I've always loved that name - it's so pretty & strong at the same time!) who'd just completed a 3-year full time Gemara program at Matan. & she was married with a baby! Good on her. 3 cheers for women's learning.

There was also a very cool Swede, the son of missionaries, who was studying Judaics at Hebrew U.

During the third meal of Shabbat, I returned to R' Ross & Emily & then experienced my very first Yemenite Havdalah. Wow. We were each passed a fresh piece of I don't know what plant for us to crush & smell at the b'samim (spices) blessing. It was unbelieveable - like citrus & herbal fruit. I pressed it in my volume of "Liqutey Sifrei Stam" when I got home.

I'm REALLY going to miss R' Ross & Emily...but feel very grateful that I could at least spend part of this day with them, 2 years after they left Vancouver.

I went for a walk around the old neighbourhood I used to live in 3 years ago, while I was here completing my sofrut certification. Emeq Refa'im, it's called, the Valley of Healing. & true to it's name, there is a wealth of health food stores, pilates, yoga, organics, recycling, chi-chi net cafes & funky restaurants all up & down the strip.

Cafe Hillel was one of those cafes - until September 9th, 2003. I lived 2 blocks from there & went for coffee & snacks with friends almost daily. This was my experience of the tragedy.

I strolled up the Emeq, curious as to what had been done with the old Cafe Hillel space, when lo & behold there it was. Completely rebuilt. Illuminated. Full of people.

My eyes teared up.

Now this is Israel. To rebuild in celebration & defiance. To make a memorial from renewed life. I decided to be davka as well & joined the throng inside.

I asked for a cafe barad ("barad means" "hail", as in one of the 10 Plagues). "Ayn ice" - there's no ice, said the shop girl. I asked for a shokolatte - they were out of chocolate as well. Barukh Ha-Shem! What a pleasure that this place is SO busy on a Saturday night that they run out of ice & chocolate - despite the suicide bombing of 3 years ago!

I collected my foamy warm drink & sat in the crowd where so many innocent folks had been torn apart that night, in a place that looked like nothing had ever happened. Terror now replaced by that familiar sexy Saturday night vibe you will find all over Israel.

The Valley of Healing, indeed.

Shavu'ah tov - a good week.




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