It seemed that whenever we go somewhere or do something special, that it is always topped by the next day’s activity. Yeah, going to the wall was cool, but then we went to the Bedouin tents. Those were pretty sweet, but the next day we climbed Masada and relaxed in the Dead Sea. Like, come on now, what’s next? What’s going to top everything we’ve done so far. If you guessed “going to the holiest place in the world on the holiest day of the week,” then you were right. If you didn’t guess that, then, well, sorry. Better luck next birthright!
Rabbi Z of Mayanot 358 told us at Shabbat services last week that if our trip was a plane ride, then at that point we were just taking off; the wheels weren’t even up yet. Now, a week later, our plane begins its descent. The flight attendants sat down, the fasten seatbelt sign went on, and our descent started with Shabbat at the Kotel. As we walked about the old city on our way down to the wall, the girls lit the Shabbat candles and Rabbi Levi informed us that this was going to be a night we would never forget.
Have you ever been to New Years Eve in Times Square? I haven’t, but I’m convinced it wasn’t as crowded as the wall on a Friday night. No way. It was incredible. All sorts of Jews, from all different places, hailing from different walks of life, coming together to celebrate Shabbat. We held our service right at the divider so the men and women could all be more or less together, and Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Z led it with passion and vigor. We were praying, singing, dancing, and simply taking it all in and realizing where we were and what we were doing. On our way back up we got a bird’s eye view of the entire scene at the wall, and of all the beautiful views and natural beauty we’ve seen, this might have topped them all.
We had a nice walk back through a quiet Jerusalem and enjoyed a Shabbat dinner. Afterwards, we exchanged the gifts we purchased for each other earlier in the day. I was personally thrilled with my gift-a beanie with payot attached from Tara-and the gift I purchased for Jess-a white scarf-seemed to go over well. Afterwards, we spent the rest of the night mulling about the hotel, relaxing out on the patio, and enjoying each other’s company as the final weekend of our trip commenced.