So what do you actually do in Yeshiva?

I've been asked that question a bunch of times, most notably by my parents, so I figure I might as well explain what actually goes on for me during the day. Studying at the Conservative Yeshiva has been an exciting opportunity for me to meet new people and interact with them in a way that's different from the experiences I have at school and elsewhere. All day we're immersed in this word of Jewish text study, and because of that the way we speak and think generally follows that model. It's actually really funny how a discussion on just about anything turns into a Talmud-style debate, all in good fun of course.

Every morning begins with Shacharit services at 7:30AM (I haven't woken up so early on a regular basis since high school), and then a break for breakfast (one of the two meals a day that I eat at the Yeshiva, consisting of my milk and cereal that's in the fridge in the kitchenette). The other meal is lunch, which can be a peanut butter and chocolate spread sandwich, or something completely different. We pray all 3 services each day, the second being after lunch and the third at the end of classes in the evening.

We have Talmud class every morning from 9 to 12:30. We are currently studying topics related to the categories of things you are not allowed to do on Shabbat. We spend the first two hours of study with a partner, working through the difficult Aramaic text and trying to figure out what the arguments and questions are, and how the rabbis from the 4-5th century resolved them. For the last hour and a half, everyone in our class comes together with our teacher Reb. Mordechai to review what we've been working on and discuss it further. Usually, the time does pass relatively quickly, and I enjoy the "scavenger hunt through the dictionary" process of figuring out what the text is saying and what it has to teach us about the process of deriving law from original Judaic sources. It's also not all serious work - we do get a little silly sometimes. Reb. Mordechai drinks tea from a huge bowl and enjoys his eccentricities and random knowledge. We often end up on strange tangents and spend ridiculous amounts of time on moot points and crazy details.
One day we were discussing the value of studying the way we do in terms of preparation for rabbinical school, and I looked around and noticed that out of the five students in the classroom, I was the only one not headed in the rabbinical school direction. Reb. Mordechai then amended his statement to include the value of the experience even if you're not going to be a rabbi - and I thanked him. In general, I've been impressed with the overall sense at the Yeshiva that learning is important whether or not you're going to be a rabbi, and as the head of the Yeshiva pointed out,
"We need good Conservative bankers and lawyers and doctors too." (and filmmakers?)

Every afternoon offers a different assortment of class options. Some of these classes required that I do some catch-up work in order to follow along, and others were just starting as new courses for the spring. Twice a week I have Hebrew language class. We read newspaper articles and excerpts from stories, discuss what we did over the weekend or what news we have to share, and once a week we watch an Israeli movie - in Hebrew with the Hebrew subtitles on. Having the subtitles actually makes a huge difference, and I really enjoyed watching "HaKayitz Shel Aviyah," "Aviyah's Summer."

Sunday is Psalms class. We're studying Psalms 145-150, which are part of the daily morning service. Each week has been a different psalm, and I've really enjoyed looking at them in detail. It's made me really appreciate the quality of the poetry and the use of words, as well as the ideas they present and the value in saying them each morning. It's also the kind of study that I feel like I could bring back to the Penn Jewish community, maybe to make Shabbat morning services more meaningful instead of routine.

-- Did you notice I started the weekly schedule with Sunday? That's right. The culture that created the idea of a weekend with the institution of Shabbat goes right back to work on Sunday. At least we have Fridays off.

Monday I have Liturgy class, and we've been studying the central prayer of all Jewish prayer services - the Amidah. The course is a continuation from last semester, so I kinda picked up in the middle, but it's definitely been meaningful to spend a lot of time really picking apart the prayer I've been saying three times every day.

Tuesdays I don't go to Yeshiva. It's kinda a mid-week break for me. Since we don't have Talmud on Tuesday mornings, I decided to use the day to explore or travel or sleep late, and it's been put to good use.

Wednesday afternoons is Kabballah, mysticism. On the first day Simona gave me a crash course in everything they'd studied from the fall semester. Let me just say it's crazy philosophical and detailed and confusing, but at the same time whatever I do end up understanding provides some deeper understanding of the Kabbalistic perception of G-d and His interaction with people. It's neat, but I can totally understand the need for the traditional custom of not studying this until you're very learned in everything else, and at least 40 years old.

Thursday's schedule includes a lesson/discussion with the head of the Yeshiva - about whatever issue he deems worth bringing up or discussing - and a class about the week's Torah portion, taught by a different person each week. The discussion opportunity is a very interesting one, because it's the only time everyone from the Yeshiva comes together to talk, and it's usually something existential about the ideas of learning in a yeshiva environment or being a committed Conservative Jew, etc. Studying the weekly Torah portion is a great opportunity, because Israeli synagogue services rarely include a discussion as extensive as the rabbi's sermons common in American synagogues, and it's a good opportunity to take a close look at what we're going to be reading over Shabbat.

So that's my week. It's incredibly intellectual, usually exhausting, and a lot of fun. Learning for its own sake requires a lot of motivation and a real desire to stay away from distractions (like e-mail). I often rely on my partners in class to keep me focused on the days when I've had too much sugar or would much prefer to be taking a nap. It might also have to do with the fact that I'm only here for a month, and they've gotten into the rhythm of study since they're here for a whole year. But I show up every day ready to pray and to learn and to really expand the way I think about and relate to Judaism. I love being able to put on my tallis and t'fillin each morning, along with the other guys and girls who do, as well as the girls who choose not to. I know that each of us is encouraged to think openly and freely, to relate what we're learning to our own experience in the world, and to really question in a way that's not even thought of in other institutions. We are not fed a world-view and told to simple take it in, we are really lead to find our own answers, which is incredibly valuable.

I am incredibly thankful to everyone at the Yeshiva who, from the moment I arrived, were welcoming and inclusive to me. I have met wonderful people and made great friends and really enjoyed my time studying in this environment and community. At no time did I feel like an outsider or a stranger, and that made a huge difference to my experience.
So now you have maybe more than a taste of what it's like to take on this lifestyle for even just a short amount of time, and I would love to talk to you more if you have questions or thoughts... so feel free to e-mail or comment to let me know what you think.

Finally, I will be flying home to the States on Wednesday, and I look forward to seeing whatever Philly, Cherry Hill, and NYU people I run into while I'm home.

Pictures

Here are pictures from the Tayelet as promised. Thanks, Yossi!

I'm spending tonight with my cousins in Netanya after a Tu B'Shevat Seder at a synagogue in the area. Tu B'Shevat is the holiday celebrating the trees and nature. It's still super cold here, but maybe this will help bring spring along.

One more will 'till I'm back in the States. Get excited!

The Importance of Reading

Today I experienced yet another example of why it is important to read carefully. I discovered today upon putting in a load of laundry that in previous loads I had been using laundry softener instead of detergent. I had just figured that since there were two things on the laundry shelf and one was powder and one was liquid, I'd just use the liquid once since it was easier to reach and less likely to make a mess. Oops. Did I mention the writing on both of the containers was in Hebrew? I know the Hebrew word for laundry, and I figured the other word was detergent, which I definitely don't know. Turns out when I read closer this time, the word has the same root as the word I know for soft. A very enormous dictionary confirmed my mistake.
I think that about sums up the amusing experiences for the day. Yeshiva was good, and at some point I'll spend some time explaining what I actually do there and what I've been learning and thinking about. I went out for lunch with my new friend Simona, and I made fried rice and sauteed veggies for dinner with my new friend Judy. It's been a pretty good day overall.

Scenic Views and Other Highlights: Jerusalem Week 2

Since I spent a lot of my last post giving you a general sense of what's been going on here for me, I decided this time I would instead offer just a few of the highlights from my experience in Jerusalem so far.
- Rock climbing - under the Teddy Stadium there's a brand new rock climbing gym - who knew?! Yossi and I went last Tuesday and had a great time, and I'm hoping to convince some Yeshiva friends to go with me again.
- The Egged bus system: Israeli bus drivers are actually very friendly and willing to help confused passengers like yours truly. They'll even remind you when they reach the stop you asked about when you got on timidly and verified that you were on the right bus.
- The Tayelet is a beautiful "promenade" area overlooking the entire gorgeous city of Jerusalem from the south in Talpiyot. Apparently it's one of the most common tourists stops, but for some reason I can't ever remember having gone there. It's incredible. Yossi and I walked over to it from his cousins house on Friday morning before Shabbat , and I was blown away by the view. (I'll post pictures as soon as Yossi e-mails them to me)
- Bowling! Jerusalem has a brand new bowling alley neat the mall, and after going out to dinner with basically everyone from the Yeshiva for Simona's birthday, a bunch of us headed over there to check it out. Funniest experience - watching super-religious Jews go bowling. It's just silly.

Today was Yossi's last day in town, since he's spending tonight in Ra'anana and flying home tomorrow. We spent the whole day together, and despite my tendency to want to know everything that's going on, I let him plan exactly what we were going to do and leave all of it as a surprise for me. He took me to lunch at the most incredibly-located cafe. It's in the neighborhood called Yemin Moshe, and from our seats next to the windows, we had a spectacular view of the outer wall of the old city and all of the surrounding area. It was a clear and bright gorgeous day despite the cold, and we just soaked in the scenery over lunch. We also spent a while walking around in the Machaneh Yehudah area - it's this incredible open air market with just about anything you could possibly want to buy. I happen to really like seeing lots of bright colored things all lined up next to each other, so I just had fun looking around:


Yossi didn't want to sit on the floor with the spices, but he did long enough to me to take a picture!

I've got a bunch more fun activities on my list, and I'm sure there will be plenty of unexpected ones as well. Stay warm, wherever you are, and don't forget to write.

Israel: Week One

I've been in Israel for one week now, and everything has been incredible. It took me a little while (or rather, it took my stomach a little while) to adjust, but I am loving it. Yossi decided to spend two weeks of his winter break here too, so we flew in together and spent the first night in Ra'anana with friends of his. I got to experience the Israeli train system - which is pretty awesome. They've got double-decker trains and really clear announcements for all the stops and connections (mostly in Hebrew but it was a good thing the ones at the airport were also in English so we knew where to go).
The next morning I headed to Ramat HaSharon for an awesome weekend. Lauren (Reibstein, first cousin who's also in Israel right now) and I stayed at Rita and Ilan Aloni's house and experienced the whirlwind that descends when all of the cousins come for Friday night dinner. Everyone was there: Orly and Neri with their kids Mica, Amitai, and baby Lihi; Michal and Yigal with their kids Romi and Alon; and even Shir and Yael from all the way up north with Yuval, Edo, and Maya. We had a blast playing with everyone and catching up, and of course we also enjoyed sleeping late on Saturday morning. I have to admit that I had been concerned before going, since our Israeli cousins are secular and sometimes forget that I observe Shabbat and Kashrut, but they made sure to make vegetarian food for me, and we took a walk around the area on Shabbat afternoon, so I was really pleased about how well it worked out. Lauren and I made our way to Jerusalem that night, and I think it took about as long to get from the bus station to my apartment as it did to get there from Tel Aviv. Luckily, with the help of two friendly bus drivers and some patient old ladies, we made it to the right place.
Since then I've been living in Jerusalem and learning my way around. I spend (almost) every day at the Conservative Yeshiva from Shachrit (morning) services at 7:30AM until Maariv (evening) services at 6:30, of course with lots of learning going on in between. Since day one everyone has been so welcoming and friendly, and I really feel at home there. I am with people who are totally dedicated to learning and to living in a Conservative lifestyle, and it's really refreshing. It is such a great feeling to know that I am learning incredible things, purely for the sake of learning, and with people who genuinely want to be there to learn. This week both Conservative rabbinical schools came to give presentations, do interviews, and obviously recruit, so we had free lunch every day, along with presentations about why the world needs more Jewish educators, etc. Actually in my Talmud class yesterday I looked around and realized that of the 5 of us present, I was the only one not intending to go to rabbinical school. Oy. But Reb Mordechai, my teacher, assured me that I don't have to be a rabbi, and that's ok. It sounds funny, but after a week of rabbinical school overload, I really appreciated it. I thanked him because I think sometimes people forget how badly our movement needs active lay people. I desperately want to be one of those people.
The excitement with Bush in town has impacted the entire city, but not in the way you'd expect. I haven't seen protests or even many angry posters hung up. Mostly, Israelis are just annoyed because it's generated a lot of traffic with all the road-closures. Parts of my street is quite often closed off to cars, and even pedestrians. When I walked out of the Yeshiva yesterday I told to join a small clump of people on the sidewalk and told we weren't allowed to go anywhere because Bush's motorcade was about to go by. We waited for a little while, and then we saw one official looking car drive by us, albeit on the wrong side of the street. A few seconds later two motorcycles went by, and then all of the sudden forty cars, vans, SUV's and motorcycles came streaming by, all with official looking signs and blinking lights and secret service people dressed in black suits. All in all it was totally worth the delay, and we did actually see Bush waving as he drove past us. Yossi and I ran into the motorcade again last night when we were walking to meet his cousins for dinner. Maybe the president's following me. Of course neither time did I have my camera on me.
So I finally have started to feel like I actually live here. I am subletting a room in an apartment very close to the Yeshiva, and it's taken a little while to learn my way around. I have a cell phone that accepts the SIM card I bought (speaking of which, if you're in the area and want my Israeli cell number, just send me an e-mail). I have a space heater that actually works, which is an incredible improvement since most apartments don't have heat and it's 56 degrees inside. I learned how long I need to wait for the water heater to warm up before I take a shower - unfortunately by trial and error. I even know where the meat and dairy sections of the kitchen are, and I have clean laundry mostly thanks to Yossi's cousins who are fortunate enough to own a dryer in addition to a washing machine. Those are just some of the little crazy experiences that I have been muddling through this week in order to feel settled, and now, just in time for Shabbat, everything is coming together.
Wishing everyone an enjoyable weekend,
Maddy

Jet Plane

I'm leaving tonight for Israel. I know once I get there that everything will fall into place and I'll have a fabulous time, but at this point it's just barely starting to hit me that I'm actually leaving, let alone that I'm going to Israel for an entire month. Eventually my head will be able to wrap itself around that idea, but we're not there yet. Right now I just hope they're showing Ratatouille on the plane (Ratatouille on IMDB).
Thanks to everyone who's been helping me get excited by sending e-mails or posting comments. It's so fun to hear from everyone, from all over the world and from all different parts of my life.