Point one: Extra-long vacation. Having taken a serious account of your soul in the weeks leading up to the Yamin Noraim (Days of Awe - RH and YK), everyone needs a break, especially to enjoy the beautiful weather in Israel right before the rainy season begins and it starts to get yucky.
So to continue where I left off in my account of the Galil Adventure, last Wednesday the five of us drove to Rosh Pina, a little north of Moshav Almagor where we were staying, to find dinner. Let me first mention that we got a rental car for the three days, and without it, we really wouldn't have been able to get around from tiny town to tiny town. That being said - "Zaki," as we named him, wasn't the most dependable vehicle. His ability to accelerate up hills was pretty nonexistent, so there were many times where we got stuck behind huge trucks on the highway for miles because Zaki couldn't muster the strength to pass them. We cajoled him on and he continued to run, but he definitely could have used a more powerful engine (and some better shocks).
Dinner was at this amazing little restaurant called Indigo that we found in a Frommer's guidebook. If you're ever in Rosh Pina, go here - they have amazing dishes, served with an abundance of goat cheese.
We returned to the Moshav, satiated and smiling, and spend the evening drinking wine, eating mangoes and chocolate, and singing along to the tunes from Evelyn's guitar.
The next morning, after letting ourselves sleep in a bit and then davening facing the Kinneret (and back toward Jerusalem, of course), we consulted our buddy Dan, the son of the moshav hostel's proprietor, about where to go for a hike in the area involving water. He suggested Nachal Zaki (that's where the car's name originated) - a hike along a river, we assumed, with parts where we could refresh ourselves and get our feet wet. We drove to the spot, walked along the dry, sandy path for a while without seeing much water, and took lots of pictures of groves of pomegranate trees and other desert foliage.
After a little ways, we came upon a fork in the trail, and followed the green and white striped trail marker. Around the bend, it pointed us not along the road, but to duck under some brush and wade into the river. This was it! I led the pack, excited to finally wear my Chacos for their intended purpose as river-walking sandals. We were in water up to our knees, making our way over rocks and mud, enjoying the cool shade, until we noticed that the stream widen, and we could no longer see our feet. Evelyn scouted ahead and discovered that we could still walk through the river, but the water came up to our shoulders! We slowly trekked on, backpacks carefully balanced on top of our heads, feeling VERY adventurous as we meticulously stepped from rock to rock so as not to trip and soak everything in our bags.
This went on for a while, alternating between deep and not so deep water, and we took frequent breaks to rehydrate and refuel. At one point, we got passed by a bunch of very experienced-looking (or at least fearless) Israelis, who didn't seem to notice or care how slippery the rocks were. My shoes began to not be as ideal as I once thought as I started to slip more and more and bang up my uncovered feet on the rocks. Although we were still seeing trail markers, many of us were getting pretty tired and ready to call it a day (since by this point, we had been hiking for 3+ hours), so at the next available junction we disembarked from the river and began looking for a parallel dry trail to take us home. We ran into some almost-naked Israeli men, drinking beer and smoking cigarettes in their skivvies (a sight to behold, unfortunately), but no trail.
So - Dan to the rescue. Turns out we were only a few hundred meters from the end of the river, but the walk back to the car probably would have taken an hour, so we were grateful to smush into the back of his truck. He brought us fresh pomegranates to munch on as well as many thoughts about the state of his country for our brains to munch on. While he believes that Iran does present an existential threat to the state of Israel with its nuclear capabilities and ambitions, the real problem for the future of the state isn't the Arabs - it's the Israelis. This was said after passing a dumpster used by former campers and hikers that had been utterly trashed, with refuse flung over the entire area.
We were tired enough to go home and take a nap, but instead we wanted to soak up the last bit of our afternoon by visiting the Golan Height Winery in Katzrin, where they bottle Yarden, Gamla, and Golan wines. We arrived an hour before they were set to close so we couldn't get the full tour, but we DID get to watch the incredibly cheesy video dubbed in weird English and taste three of their wines!
Very, very tasty, especially the Sauvignon Blanc and the Muscat! I have a feeling I'll be returning here...We ended the evening (after returning to the moshav to shower) by driving to Tiveria (Tiberias) to take in the splendor of tourism and grimy waterfront town. We had heard that St. Peter's fish was a local specialty, so most of us ordered the fried fish and chips, and this is what we got:
Definitely a fish. Once I figured out how to get around the bones it was rather tasty, but this is one of those times where being someone who calls herself a vegetarian but eats fish becomes challenging.So in sum, 48 hours in the Galil was an incredible experience of good food, good friends, and embracing the beauty of nature. One of the most challenging things about studying at Pardes full time is not getting to breathe fresh air enough or being able to appreciate the magnificent setting we're in. That's point one of why I love Sukkot here - a break from our daily lives to remind ourselves why we do what we do and a chance to renew our energy for the weeks of intense study to come.
Point two: Almost all the restaurants here build sukkot for their patrons to dine in during the holidays, ranging from the ordinary to the elaborate:
These are gorgeous, but the best Sukkot that I've dwelled in over the past week are the ones of friends who have invited me in. It's a mitzvah to welcome Ushpizin - guests - into one's sukkah, and I've been the recipient of such wonderful hospitality, not having a sukkah of my own. Here's the sukkah rundown so far:Friday night: Shabbat/chag dinner in Anna's sukkah, with beautiful acapella music and inspiring conversations
Saturday lunch: The Friedman's sukkah with interesting thoughts on aliyah and politics
Saturday night: Dessert in Katie and Matan's sukkah, with as many people packed in as possible, reading aloud Israeli and American children's books, and spontaneous niggunim (wordless melodies) (plus awesome chocolate pecan pie!)
Sunday morning: Davening in the Pardes sukkah, first time shaking my lulav and etrog, and Dalet and Hey classes bagel brunch with sukkot-themed 20 questions!
Miriam and I with our arba'ah minim (four species)!
This is Baruch, one of my teachers, trying to ask questions to figure out what it says on the green thing on his head (it says Kohelet (Ecclesiastes), which we read on the Shabbat of Sukkot).
Sunday afternoon: Sukkah visiting in Mea Shearim (ultra orthodox neighborhood) and Ben Yehuda street area (pictures above), dinner in the Sukkah at Tmol Shilshom
Monday night: Dinner in Sheryl's sukkah, sleeping in the Pardes sukkah!
Melissa and Queen Esther
Queen Esther braves the sukkah!
Tuesday: Day trip to Tel Aviv with Shira and Naomi, dinner in Katie's sukkah
Only in Tel Aviv would you see this sign...
The Mediterranean
So that brings me to my final point:
Point three: Sukkot in Israel is amazing because of how it brings people out of their homes and into temporary dwellings together. So often we get stuck in our routines, grabbing a bite to eat at whatever place is quickest and then sitting in our apartment wasting away the evening, but Sukkot encourages us to host others and to be good guests, preparing food, offering company, and sharing a physical and spiritual space together.
Moadim l'simcha (festivals of happiness) and chag sameach (happy holiday) to everyone, and I hope that you all find a place in your lives where friends and family come together under one roof to celebrate what's most special.
I can't say I'm not RIDICULOUSLY jealous of your awesome adventures in Israel...
ReplyDeleteI realized this week that Sukkot is also my favorite holiday for the same reasons... I love eating outside, and making plans to eat in the sukkah with the wind and rain seems like an adventure. We didn't make our own sukkah this year so we have been eating in the orthodox shul's sukkah down the street where we would run into random people and sharing food and wine and good times. Love it.