Friday, June 17, 2005
Sparks From Israel
The Birds
If you look westward you can spot them arriving one by one. Then they come in larger numbers, like a stream trickling through tunnels and alleyways. Finally there is a rushing river, as they flood the marble floor of the Temple wall all the way across the large open plaza, up to the stairways at the other end. As the sun rises you can see them all, like birds. A hundred thousand Jews all huddled together for the morning prayer of Shavuot, after being up all night learning Torah, which is the Jewish tradition.
I have one friend who was at the original Sinai in the dessert and felt the vibe, another who was in Sfat receiving the kabala, and then there was me who stood witness in Jerusalem to the flock of black, white and multi-colored Jews doing their prayer dance together in improvised assemblies. What an interesting species these people are.
As I stood off in the distance taking in the sight of these multitudes I could hear the Song of the Hebrews calling to their G-d. I understood the language of this species and I too could return a call, in the same voice. After all I guess I'm a bird too.
A Nation of Prophets
I was coming back on the bus from the Kotel with two Israeli guys I had just met over Shabbat. One had a business idea he was speaking to me about, and his Temani friend was an inspired yeshiva student who only spoke about Torah. We managed to find three seats on the bus, and then his friend suddenly stood up and started to give the bus riders a lecture on the Importance of remaining silent in the Beit Knesset.
Imagine the scene; a Sephardic young man with a black kippa lecturing to a bus load of Ashkenazi rabbi’s with black furry striemels and women in kerchiefs. At first they smiled to each other, but as the bus rolled along, he continued, and they became engrossed in the lecture. While he was speaking, I turned to my friend and asked him if he does this everywhere, he nodded.
When we arrived at our destination, I hurried to catch the last bus to Tel Aviv. I looked back and saw the Bus Rebbe surrounded by new fans asking for his telephone number. On the bus back to Tel Aviv, he asked the bus driver if he could use the microphone and give a Torah lecture. He was flatly denied and we continued home with the radio playing Russian ballads and Trance music. I guess it must have been similar in ancient times.
The Academy of Questions
On Shabbat in Tel Aviv, I can only understand about 60% of the lectures because my Hebrew is not that good yet. It’s a treat for me to visit Yerushalayim where there is so much learning in English, and Shavuot is the holiday where we traditionally stay up all night long learning Torah.
There were a hundred different classes to choose from in the Old City, and a friend recommended a Talmud class that began at 2:30 am. He advised reviewing the material for a few hours before the lecture, because it was very deep stuff and the regular students have already spent a week reviewing it. So I sat with an old friend from this yeshiva and we struggled through it for a few hours until the Rabbi arrived.
He spoke for two hours and I must say, that instead of the 60% I usually understand in Hebrew, this time I understood about 10%, and it was in English. This academy of intellect was so refined that one could hardly make out the subject of the question that was extracted from the previous question that was concealed within the statement that was really another question.
Now I understand why the great yeshivas are such a big weapon for Israel. They are splitting the atom every day here and it creates a tremendous force field of impenetrable light.
Heavy Metal Chulent
Just as I had unpacked my things and was settling into a nice spiritual Shabbat in the Old City a 7-foot tattooed biker entered the room. He took off his spiked boots and Metalica T-shirt, stretched his legs passed the bed and with the moan of a giant lied down. The thought occurred to me, to put my valuables in the office safe. Jerusalem attracts all kinds of unusual people.
Another roommate arrived with a friend and they were discussing the laws of the Shavuot Festival. The rocker who hadn’t yet fallen asleep turned to them and in aristocratic English explained the detailed differences between the laws of Shabbat and the laws of the Festivals. Everyone was stunned, and he went back to sleep.
Later, I spoke with this gentle giant and discovered that his father was a rabbi, whose advice to him was to always question everything. His questioning led him around the world and back to Jerusalem. I suppose he will continue to question as his father did and there is a good chance that he will follow in his fathers footsteps and become a rabbi himself one day; maybe a Heavy Metal Rabbi. You can’t judge a book from its cover, especially in Israel.
The Birds
If you look westward you can spot them arriving one by one. Then they come in larger numbers, like a stream trickling through tunnels and alleyways. Finally there is a rushing river, as they flood the marble floor of the Temple wall all the way across the large open plaza, up to the stairways at the other end. As the sun rises you can see them all, like birds. A hundred thousand Jews all huddled together for the morning prayer of Shavuot, after being up all night learning Torah, which is the Jewish tradition.
I have one friend who was at the original Sinai in the dessert and felt the vibe, another who was in Sfat receiving the kabala, and then there was me who stood witness in Jerusalem to the flock of black, white and multi-colored Jews doing their prayer dance together in improvised assemblies. What an interesting species these people are.
As I stood off in the distance taking in the sight of these multitudes I could hear the Song of the Hebrews calling to their G-d. I understood the language of this species and I too could return a call, in the same voice. After all I guess I'm a bird too.
A Nation of Prophets
I was coming back on the bus from the Kotel with two Israeli guys I had just met over Shabbat. One had a business idea he was speaking to me about, and his Temani friend was an inspired yeshiva student who only spoke about Torah. We managed to find three seats on the bus, and then his friend suddenly stood up and started to give the bus riders a lecture on the Importance of remaining silent in the Beit Knesset.
Imagine the scene; a Sephardic young man with a black kippa lecturing to a bus load of Ashkenazi rabbi’s with black furry striemels and women in kerchiefs. At first they smiled to each other, but as the bus rolled along, he continued, and they became engrossed in the lecture. While he was speaking, I turned to my friend and asked him if he does this everywhere, he nodded.
When we arrived at our destination, I hurried to catch the last bus to Tel Aviv. I looked back and saw the Bus Rebbe surrounded by new fans asking for his telephone number. On the bus back to Tel Aviv, he asked the bus driver if he could use the microphone and give a Torah lecture. He was flatly denied and we continued home with the radio playing Russian ballads and Trance music. I guess it must have been similar in ancient times.
The Academy of Questions
On Shabbat in Tel Aviv, I can only understand about 60% of the lectures because my Hebrew is not that good yet. It’s a treat for me to visit Yerushalayim where there is so much learning in English, and Shavuot is the holiday where we traditionally stay up all night long learning Torah.
There were a hundred different classes to choose from in the Old City, and a friend recommended a Talmud class that began at 2:30 am. He advised reviewing the material for a few hours before the lecture, because it was very deep stuff and the regular students have already spent a week reviewing it. So I sat with an old friend from this yeshiva and we struggled through it for a few hours until the Rabbi arrived.
He spoke for two hours and I must say, that instead of the 60% I usually understand in Hebrew, this time I understood about 10%, and it was in English. This academy of intellect was so refined that one could hardly make out the subject of the question that was extracted from the previous question that was concealed within the statement that was really another question.
Now I understand why the great yeshivas are such a big weapon for Israel. They are splitting the atom every day here and it creates a tremendous force field of impenetrable light.
Heavy Metal Chulent
Just as I had unpacked my things and was settling into a nice spiritual Shabbat in the Old City a 7-foot tattooed biker entered the room. He took off his spiked boots and Metalica T-shirt, stretched his legs passed the bed and with the moan of a giant lied down. The thought occurred to me, to put my valuables in the office safe. Jerusalem attracts all kinds of unusual people.
Another roommate arrived with a friend and they were discussing the laws of the Shavuot Festival. The rocker who hadn’t yet fallen asleep turned to them and in aristocratic English explained the detailed differences between the laws of Shabbat and the laws of the Festivals. Everyone was stunned, and he went back to sleep.
Later, I spoke with this gentle giant and discovered that his father was a rabbi, whose advice to him was to always question everything. His questioning led him around the world and back to Jerusalem. I suppose he will continue to question as his father did and there is a good chance that he will follow in his fathers footsteps and become a rabbi himself one day; maybe a Heavy Metal Rabbi. You can’t judge a book from its cover, especially in Israel.
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