CTeen Takes Over Tzfat!
7 years ago Leighest 0
By Rachel Wilkes
Hollywood, Florida
We spent the past couple of days in Tzfat. What an amazing experience! On our first day there, we met a scribe and learned about what it takes to write a Torah. It was incredible to see how much work goes into making something that in our eyes is so small, like a mezuzah. A mezuzah can theoretically be finished in one day, but one minor mistake causes them to start all over. We also viewed how tefillin and the Torah are written.
On our second day, we began our day in style, with a jeep ride around the Golan Heights. There, we had a chance to see Israel’s oldest borders. Following that we visited a farm to learn about Israel agriculture. To end off an amazing day, we went to Tiberias for dinner and an amazing dance party and boat tour on the Kineret. Watching the sun go down, and seeing the smiles on every girls face as we danced the night away was an experience I’ll never forget.
On Friday, we went to a Kibbutz in the north district on the border of Lebanon, Mizgav Am. There we learned about life on not only a kibbutz, but living directly on the border. For our last activity before Shabbat, we went water rafting on the Jordan River and had the most amazing time.
Then came Shabbat, which was my favorite experience yet. We lite candles and headed to shul. Davening was really beautiful and special on Friday night. One of the things that stands out most to me about Shabbat was a stump the staff game we played on Shabbat afternoon. We had an opportunity to take anything we wanted; questions ranged from dating and relationships to thoughts about everyday life. Following that, we took a nature walk, where we ended up in a pitch black cave. We had to hold hands and rely on each other for suppot to get through. It was amazing to see how united we all became, and how easily we could rely on each other. To bring Shabbat to an end, we returned to shul for a beautiful havdalah ceremony and dancing that followed. I had a great time dancing with my friends and bringing Shabbat out with joy.
Now, as I write this, our journey to the bedouin tents and then Jerusalem is in progress. Cant wait to see where else this trip takes us!
