This is a once in a lifetime experience and I wouldn't want to have it with anyone else but you, bus 460. It's been five days and you already mean the world to me.
Hebrew word of the day: Ad Matai which translates to "until when"
After our final meal at Kibbutz Afiq, we boarded the bus and headed to the holy city of Tzfat. Tzfat is one of four holy cities in Israel alongside Hebron, Tiberius, and Jerusalem. Tzfat is a beautiful city full of lively art and Jewish mysticism called Kabbalah.
From their we traveled to Jerusalem Beach (still in Tel Aviv, contrary to its moniker), where we spent an hour and a half wading in the gorgeous, crystal-clear Mediterranean. Then we explored the shuk marketplace for lunch, before boarding the bus and heading for the nation's capital.
It was entrancing and intoxicating, the most hope I had ever witnessed, and in that moment I felt totally connected to all Jews across the world and across time.
At Mount Scopus, we learned about the Old City, while admiring its beauty.
Walking around the most ancient part of Jerusalem comes with so many feelings.
Looking at that famous and meaningful Jerusalem stone, noticing the variety of people walking the alley ways, and our special group experiencing it all together paints a picture that is so spiritualy meaningful.
As we got closer to the western wall, everyone's heart started beating faster, awaiting. For some of us that moment when we first saw the Western Wall was really unique, for some even life changing.
The next stop was one of our favorite parts of the day: the Kotel. With so much historic and religious significance, the Western Wall is known as one of the holiest sites in the world. It was exhilarating to see people of all different religious backgrounds and beliefs worshipping and praying at the same place. Being able to put our hands on the wall and think about all of the people who came there before us was something that was truly indescribable.
Waking up in Tel Aviv, it felt like almost any other day in a major city in the United States.
Finally, we got to go to the Western Wall. Since this is my first time in Israel, I have been looking forward to coming to the Western Wall for the entire trip. While writing my prayer, I became emotional while thinking about the things that meant the most to me in my life. I realized how lucky I am to be able to come to Israel and pray at the Western Wall, and I hope that my children and their children have that same opportunity.
We were able to listen to a pair of local musicians who play instruments that date back to the earliest times recorded in the era. The three instruments resembled a guitar, a piano, and a UFO-shaped steel drum. They played a beautiful set of traditional and modern music.