One day until my birthday.
I got woken up this morning by Nimrod tickling my feet: it really got me moving, being so ticklish as I am!
We had a very quick breakfast, and then drove off straightaway for our morning hike of the Tsfat area. The hike was a beautiful but slippery trek down the hillside, to the river that issues from the spring called En Yakim (named after a Kohanim family that fled there 2,000 years ago), and that runs to the foot of the mountain on which Tsfat lies.
Nahal Amud hike near TzfatMy jeans got a bit muddy along the way, and my shoes got caked. Nim showed us a 500-year old fabric mill, and explained that along the river there were also flour mills, and other facilities that used water turbines, during the 16th century. He explained how En Yakim was once the life source of Tsfat, and how thanks to it, Tsfat was the centre of commerce and Judaism in 16th century Israel.
Asher and I, and the rest of us, possibly thinking about the pomegranates nearby (and possibly not)We walked along the river, and saw many fruits such as pomegranates along the way. We stopped at a clearing by the stream, and had a little rest there. It was a beautiful spot, with rocks, pools and waterfalls, as well as beautiful shady trees.
After the break, we made our way back up the hillside. It was a hard ascent, but we all made it up eventually; and after that, I pissed behind a tree, then we caught the bus back to the hotel.
We've just had 2 hours to prepare for Erev Shabbat in Tsfat. I'm writing this now because I want to keep Shabbat this week; and therefore I won't be able to write in a few hours' time. I'm very much looking forward to Shabbat in Tsfat. It will be quite an experience, singing Lecha Dodi in the very city where it was written!
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We walked from Hotel Ron into Tsfat proper, all dressed up for Erev Shabbat at shule. We walked through the old (if slightly dilapidated) and beautiful streets and stairways of ancient Tsfat. Some of the streets - the ones with narrow alleys, drains in the middle of the path, and tightly-packed shops - are simply gorgeous.
The shule we went to was nearly 500 years old, and looked like it had come straight out of Morocco. The bimah was a giant blue cradle, almost like a spaceship; and the women's level was enclosed in a blue lattice, very much like a mosque.
It was a bit squashed, what with us and Academy 1 - as well as the regular frummies - but we managed to fit in, and to daven Mincha and Maariv. Eli told me a 'legend' that the shule somehow transported itself from Morocco to Israel in the 16th century - but I couldn't tell if he was kidding or not.
After the service, we walked back to the hotel; and we went very quickly, because it was raining and many of us had no protection. When we got back, we had an enormous 3-course meal, all of Academy together, with chicken and many other foods.
After the shabbat dinner, the best part of the night began. We went upstairs, where a group of British Hareidi Chassidim were singing and dancing. We joined in, and danced with them as they sang 'Am Yisral Chai', 'Yibonei Hamikdash', 'Od Yavo Shalom', and many others.
Dancing with these Chassidim was incredible, but it was nothing compared to what came next. After a little rest, we were invited to join a 'tisch', or farbreingen. This was the best thing we've done so far on Academy: all 80 of us sat at a very long table; and we sang, ate, and drank disgusting 'Arack' (Araf ['shit' in Arabic]) vodka that tasted like Ajax.
The tisch had such a spiritual atmosphere. After the tisch (literally 'table'), I stayed up for my 18th birthday, then went to bed. Ironically, I drank a fair bit of grog about 1/2 an hour before I turned 18; and after, all I drank was apple juice!