Retail Therapy and friendly Israelis

Recently a friend and I made a list of what we love about Israel. It started as a way to help us remember what we like about Israel when we are having rough days, and it has become a really fun way to be conscious about experiences living here. I had a wonderful afternoon of shopping for Chanukah presents, and came up with one great thing for the list- friendly Israelis. So in case you are wondering what a very stressed Rabbinical student does to relax (and get things done) here is a recap of my fabulous afternoon!

I got to school at about 7:15 this morning to do a practice Biblical Grammar test (got them all right..yay!), and officially started classes at 8:30. We refer to sundays as a "grammar marathon" because we start the day with Biblical Grammar, and then have a period of Hebrew, and then Bible- lots of Hebrew, and lots of Grammar! We have 15 minutes between each of these classes, and a lunch break at the end. Sundays are my easiest day because I am done at 1:30 and have a break until 4 when I leave for my community service. Today, my brain was very tired so I decided to do some Chanukah shopping that I had been putting off. And this is where my day got very interesting and very fun, and also a great way to practice my Hebrew!

First I went to the bank to cash a check, and of course the bank was not open. For some reason, banks are open only very weird hours here- an hour here an hour there, at random times throughout the day.

I continued on my way and entered a kippah shop where I had a lovely conversation with the attendant all about different colors and styles of kippot that different kinds of people wear. You can often tell someone's political ideology in Israel based on the style of their kippah and the way they wear it.

The next stop was a Judaica store where the attendant is a religious man, who knows Rabbi David (Gingy) Wilfond, the director of admissions for HUC in Jerusalem. Yedidiya (the attendant) and I had a really nice time talking to him. His topic of choice was a shock to me- religious pluralism in Jerusalem! He was very happy and supportive of my decision to become a Rabbi, and he even said that Rabbi Wilfond should be appointed the chief rabbi of Jerusalem- I couldn't agree more!

The next store was my favorite- it's a puzzle store that I absolutely love to go to and play with all the toys. And today the owner's mother and brand new baby niece were visiting from America! while the owner of the store helped me pick out presents and then wrapped them, I got to talk to this adorable baby and her grandmother! There's no better feeling than a really cute baby smiling and laughing! It's also really fun to talk to babies in Hebrew, especially since they dont' care if I make a mistake! It reminded me how much I miss my nieces and nephew back home!

On the way home I stopped by a restaurant on the first floor of my apartment building. The man recognized me and we started talking about his travels in the United States (most Israelis travel extensively in the States after their army service) and it turns out that he lived in Scottsdale for several years! We talked about our favorite restaurants and places to hang out- such a small world!

Anyway, I know this may not seem like such an exciting day to someone in America, but it was such an accomplishment for me to spend an afternoon shopping and conversing in Hebrew with all of these people. Especially to have conversations not just about the objects at the store, but real life conversations in Hebrew! Some days in class it is hard to see that my Hebrew is improving, but it is days like this that I know I am here for a reason and that I am learning a lot.

And 2 weeks from today I will be waking up in America to see my family and friends! I can't wait! But until then...it's study study study for my finals!