Bonding as a group in Tzfat
Today was a very enjoyable day up in the north of Israel. We began the day at 7:30am by eating a lovely breakfast of eggs, toast, jelly, oatmeal, cereal, and milk. After breakfast, we drove to hike the famous Mt Meron, the 2nd highest point in Israel. We overlooked some unbelievable sights including a view of Lebanon from afar. One of the coolest parts, however, was seeing Mount Hermon in the distance above the clouds. It was a surreal sight as it appeared that the mountain was coming out of nowhere. It is tough to properly describe how amazing this sight was and how in awe our group was of this view.
Later on that morning, we went to Tzfat and were able to stroll through the old city. We stopped in a small courtyard and discussed the value of kabbalah and its meaning to both Judaism and to our lives on a more personal level. The conversation was inspiring and helped to bond us as a group. Afterwards, we went into the holy Ari Temple. It was different than a typical American temple, however, being much smaller with a beemah raised high in the middle of the room. Next, we proceeded to learn about the candle making process from a local shop next to the temple. The candles were really fun and learning about that was really interesting. Lunch proceeded our adventure in Tzfat, with most participants buying falafel or shawarma sandwiches. They were delicious.
Because today is Friday, we came back to the kibbutz early for relaxation time. Some members of our group chose to rest, but others began a game of soccer with some of the kids from the kibbutz. After a long period of relaxation (or playtime), we had a Shabbat service led by Asaf, and a discussion led by Jeremy. Dinner was delicious turkey legs and potatoes with challah. The night finished up with some fun games together and then we had free time to bond and hang out together for the rest of the night.
In all, Birthright has been unbelievably fun so far and my only expectation is that it will only get better!
Photo credits: Image 1-@aechales, Image 2-@emstolz, Image 3-@illinihillel, Image 4-@jamiehorwitz, Image 5-jc9611, Image 6-@niccodashian, Image 7-meganvanderah, Image 8-@meganvanderah, Image 9-@shirbaruch, Image 10-@shimshondavis