Uman - The Spiritual Crisis

 I was disturbed by the news stories today about the 1000 chasidim trapped in no mans land on the border between the Ukraine and Belarus. The Red Cross had to deliver humanitarian aid to those trapped by their own actions.  One report said that the people had refused to return to Belarus out of fear of being placed in mandatory quarantine guaranteeing they would not reach their destination on time. There are reported to be 2500 chasidim in total who made there way to Belarus unable to cross into the Ukraine by any means necessary. All this to spend Rosh HaShannah at the grave of Rebbe Nachman. 

 Like many of my friends, I am rather baffled by the entire situation. After giving it some thought, maybe I am not as baffled as I would like to be. I can't speak for those who made the journey, but I have had influences in my life that could of/or did put me in equally baffling situations. 

When I was in Yeshiva, we went to the Aish HaTorah Bible Codes seminar. While most of the program is devoted to preparation and understanding of the context and significance of the codes, the inability to use them to predict the future etc... the cool part is the codes. 

The next morning one guy walks into our pre-morning seder shiur, talking about all the cool codes. Our Rebbe wasn't impressed. So he told him another and another. Still not impressed. Finally, our Rebbe stops to explain his position. One day there is going to be a code that doesn't work as expected. If these codes are the foundation of your beliefs, your entire belief system is going to crumble with it. 

When I came back from Yeshiva, I didn't feel I was in a position to be an advisor in NCSY. I didn't have enough belief in myself. Years later, we tried to be actively involved in NCSY again. As we were not wealthy, we thought being role models through Shabbat guests would be a great way to be involved. Despite putting on pressure to be accepted, we were never approved. On one occasion trying to understand the reasons for being rejected, the comment was made that perhaps we wouldn't tell a kid to go to Israel. I am long past being emotionally attached to that statement, but it has given me reason to pause and reflect.

I believe in Hashem, Torah, mitzvot and the Jewish People. For me that belief is anchored in truth. There have been many role models that have turned out to not be as righteous as people would think they were.  There are people who live the religious life while not thinking or acting in a religious way. While my faith has been shaken many times over the years, the acts of an individual acting inappropriately has not crushed my spirits. At the end of the day, people are people.

What happens if the foundation of everything you believe in is anchored into one person? What if everything you believe in down to your very core, beliefs that you have to be in Uman on Rosh HaShannah. Having that taken away from you, could be overwhelming at a level that I can't even imagine. Perhaps for some the only alternative to receiving Red Cross aid in no mans land, is a spiritual crisis at the very core of everything they believe. People will do anything to avoid such a crisis. 

For some in the Haredi world it is inconceivable that the State of Israel would be established by non-religious Jews.  Yet, here we are. The world doesn't always work in the way we think we should. I believe that our belief in Hashem has to stay strong, when he shows us that the world is not what his plan is. Did anyone living at the time of the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash really believe it was going to be destroyed. The mishna in Nedarim deals with cases of vows made that required the Beit HaMikdash only to discover it wasn't there anymore. 

For some, not being able to make it to Uman poses a heart breaking crisis of belief. I can't relate to that line of thinking. Perhaps the ability to blame others for failure to reach Uman is the only way for them to stay true to the person they are.

A Walk through Palestinian Authority

One of the off shoots of the 'Peace Process' has been limiting access to Jewish holy sites. It is illeagal for Israeli citizens to enter Palesinian Territory Last night was the supposed Yahrtzeit of Yoshua ben Nun. It is located in what is called area A. The PA is in charge but the IDF is responsible for security. It was only one of two nights a year where Jews have access to his Kever. When I found out that Rafi G. was going I arranged to hitch a ride. (Thank Rafi).

The kever is located near Ariel in the Shomron. The drive in was uneventful with a check point when crossing the Green Line. There was a truck full of live Turkies that had been pulled over. There was a road that had been closed for the night to be used for parking.

The Kever was supposed to be open from 10:00pm to 4:30am with those already in the village allowed to stay for Nes. We arrived at around 10:30. There was a giant command post set up where we all waited. Their were Army vehicles driving back and forth with one officer controlling the crowd. Everytime he took a step back the crowd would move closer and closer. At one point he took a couple of steps back and told the crowd to stop. They took this as he meant go and started moving in before he got things under control. The way people were crowding around it was like watching the starting line for a marathon. The waiting allowed the Army photographers to get in lots of pictures of the crowd. At 10:45 we were finally able to go.

We walked for a few minutes until we arrived at the gate to the village. They kept having to yell 'Savlanut' (Patience) until the gate was ready to open and the charge began. Towards the outskirts of the town there were large homes spread out amongst many olive trees. People couldn't help put notice the giant chandlier in one house when they turned on their lights for a few minutes.

We eventually hit some smaller homes before coming to the more commercial area of town. The first stop was the Kever of Calev ben Yafuneh. We had to go through a small court yard and then duck to get into the kever. There was lots of davening and eventually they blew shofar. As we were getting ready to leave we saw Yaakov Yosef the son of Rav Ovadiah. This caused us to stay a touch longer.

We continue to walk up the hill into the main part of town. There was a major square that was the centre of the action outside of Kever Yehoshua ben Nun. The Kever was not very far from the mosque. A new school was being built immediatly behind the Kever and the municipal offices appeared to be the next building over. The Kever had a narrow courtyard to go in. We had to duck to arrive into a room with no roof. We then had to duck again to get into the kever. The room was boiling hot and it was hard to breath. I had to use my Israeli elbows instead of my Canadian manners to navitgate the kever. Once again we were joined by Yaakov Yosef. Alienu was to be resighted every hour as Yehoshua was the author. We didn't last long enough for that part.

Outside of the kever their were refreshments: drinks, pastries and Yerushlmi Kugel. Once we were done it was time to head down the hill to the Kever of Nun, father of Yehoshua. The path was fairly dark. At one point there were 3 soldiers standing on a hill and all you could see was their glow sticks. I had never thought of glow sticks as military equipment before. We spent a little bit of time at the Kever before heading back to the square.

At the square we ran into Ichud Leumi MK Michael Ben-Ari. There was a tent where Chabad was set up (they do Kiruv everywhere) plus some other tables with refreshments or collecting money. We then made our way back towards the main entrance and the road where the car was parked.

It is amazing to think that if I wanted to do the same thing tonight I would be arrested. Last night I had full IDF protection. The next major Kever like this is Kever Yoseph. It requires armoured buses with a full IDF escort because it is in Shchem which is major PA territory. As it was the first Jewish holy sight destroyed from the Oslo agreements, I am curious to see what has become of it. It probably won't be on the agenda for this year.

Kever visiting is usually not my type of thing. As a once in a lifetime experience it was very much worth doing. Pictures to follow.

Pictures from mom's trip- from mom.

The three of us at Kever Rachel.


Channah being Channah

Ballet





Channah and I at Migdal David


channah in her "Birthday suit" (thanks Abba- she really loves the jacket!)


Us

Beit Lechem and Chevron

Mom had not been to Chevron since she was 19 years old so we decided to change that fact. the tour we signed on to (with an armoured bus) took us to Kever Rachel then to various communities in Chevron before finishing the day at Maarat Hamachpeila.

Inside Kever Rachel. It is not exactly what mom rembered.


The sign is still there- just not exactly as mom rembers it.

View from in front of Kever Rachel. Not the same shops and houses that you used to see. Even 8 years ago when we came on vacation there was still a marketplace.
Channah and I trying to keep warm!

Mom outside the Avraham Avinu Shul in Chevron. The shul was originally built in the 1400 (I think) and was remodeled recently (you can still see a lot of the original stonework inside). In any case, it is called the Avraham Avinu shul becuase there was a time when there was no minyan and an old man (who said he was Avraham Avinu) came to make the minyan. Believe what you want. The whole neighbourhood is called the Avraham Avinu neighbourhood. Our tourguide lived almost right above the sul but he went to the breakaway minyan.


inside the shul


neat building near by


part of a memorial to those who fell in the chevron massacre


Maarat Hamachpela - did I mention that my pencil was confiscated by security?



shul inside at the centre of our half of the building

Spot to light candles. Yes that is over an inch of wax built up. Bubbie, I tihnk they need your services.


Mom out for an afternoon with another man ;)

random unmarked "tomb" that might be eisav's head, or Ishmael, or who the heck knows. We have taken to calling it the tomb of the unknown patriarch.


on the steps outside

on the "7th step" (as high as Jews were allowed to go up until 1967)

On the bus on the way back to Yerushalayim



Opposites?

Touristy Stuff

The view of Har Hermon from our hotel first thing in the morning. Now, I love the views where we are and still often stop and just stare in awe at the view spread out before me, but nothing we have down here even begins to compare to the vistas in the North. It has the high stony pathways of northern Ontario, the Green rolling hills of the Catskills, and the peaks of the rockies all in one place.


Add to that the gorgeous blue of the Kinneret (Galilee Sea) and you have some of most incredible views I have ever seen.

After Jason finished his first game on Wednsday morning, he came back to the room, showered (there is no way I was getting into a car with him after hockey if he missed that step!) and got en route to the tour we booked at the Golal Heights winery. http://www.golanwines.co.il/default_eng.asp

We booked for a public tour in English. Not having the slightest clue how to get there (and having terrible Israeli style directions "go left at the third kikar and then you will see signs"... um, yeah, we finally saw a sign 45 minutes down the road!) we left really early and got there over an hour early. Turns out we were the only people registered for the tour, so we got the private version. It was just the 2 of us in a theatre meant for 40 people! We were wondering if we were obligated to start making out...

Whatever. The movie was terrible. some genie with a wierd little wipsy tail that looked sort of like an upside down NIKE swoosh in a tux.


The rest of the tour was great! We saw the bottling room
and the room where they age the wine in oak barrels. 1.something or other million littres at any given time.Then came the tasting. We had a nice reisling, a young red (which neither of us liked and we think was just given to show the difference between young and old wines as it was followed by) their syra which is what they consisder their best red, a moscato (which neither of us liked as much as some of the other moscatos we have tried) and then, the best in both our minds, their "Heights Wine" (an ice wine made in a country where frost does nto last long enough to make real ice wine but competes internationally as an ice wine). It was AWESOME!

We bought a couple of bottles of the reislinig, one of the ice wine, and one mascato to take home with us and asked for other suggestions on places to go. we were told about a kibbuts, not far away, with a gormet chocolate factory and tour. Hot damn we knew where we were going next!

After sobering up a little bit in the parking lot we were on our way.

We got there to find out that they did not have a tour that day, but we did manage to come away with soem awesome chocolate and a bottle of milk caramel liquor. http://www.lobi.co.il/card-info.asp?Id=225 Going to have to try to arrange that tour if we go to the tournament again next year.

From there we drove down to Teveria by way of the Kinneret and the Jordan Valley. It was beautiful!

We grabbed lunch at a street shwarma vendor. I think it was, hands down, the best shwarma EVER! Mehadrin so totally fair game, with a "toppings bar" of about 35 different types of salads. Well wrapped so that it never fell apart and you did not get that icky wad of bread at the bottom.

Two pictures of Teveria in the winter.


After lunch we wandered around for a while and then headed over to the Rambams grave site. I got a few pictures, but honestly not as many as I would have liked. For someone who was "the poster child for rational Judaism" his burial site has certainly taken a turn for the chareidi. The markings on the srcofacaus itself was sllit lengthwise by a mechitza so the entire yomb was split in half. Yes, that meant that women did not have acees to the other tombs, including the Rambam's father on the mens side.

I have no problem with wanted seperate areas to daven, but to cut me off from whole areas with PERMENANT dividers because I do not have a penis seems a little insane.

Anyhow, the grave itself it really cool looking. There is a giant metal sculpture designed to look like a flame, and leading up to it are stepps bordered by columns with the names of the sections of his famous work the Mishna Torah. Oh, of coruse there was the quintesential gift/hair covering shop at the entrance. I was wearing a baseball cap. I considered myself good to go.

there is also a small cemetery on the side with the graves of other tenaim including the Shelah Hakodesh and some other's whose names are excaping me at the moment. All in all not a terrible 20 minutes ide trip.





Leaving the tomb Jason gave some money to a Breslover Chassid (I like them, they make me smile) and got pulled into street dancing with him. I wish I had gotten it on video, but I was too busy enjoying it in real life ot remember ot pull out the camera.

We went driving down to the water front (although we could not find anywhere to stop to park so we did not do much walking this time) and en route came across a sign for "Kever Rachel". Now, I may stink at geography, but I was pretty darn sure Rachel was buried in Beit Lechem and that it was a little lower down in the country.

This was the grave of Rabbi Akiva's wife Rachel. Although it is likely that Rabbi Akiva was tortured and killed south west in Caesarea his wife is burried here in a small (but clearly well marked) tomb. we both thought that it was rather interesting that in a religion that does seem to cover up most of the women, this gave site was maintained through the years.


This was the view driving back towards Teveria from the Kever Rachel. IT is amazing ot see how it really does just sort of rise from the Kinneret.


Day 2's pictures were mostly posted under an earlier entry about the hotel and grounds at K'far Giladi. We were thinking about going in to Tzfat, but instead took the local tour (something not readily avaialble if we were to happen to be up north at any other time) and then went ot the Naot show factory (where I got a really adorable pair of naot Mary Janes for a great price.

After that grabbed lunch at Esh Besh, a Mehadrin place in Kiryat Shemona http://www.2eat.co.il/eshbesh/ that had some of the best meat we have ever had. For about $40 total we got the special which was 250g rotisery shish ka bob (he had beef, I had chicken), 6 various salads, home made bread and drinks. Toronto seriously needs some nicer kosher restraunts.

After that we went for a swim at the Canada Centre and Jason played the championship game (he won!) before attending the end of tournament banquet and heading home.

Oh, did I mention we managed to do all our day 2 touring and shopping in Hebrew? Including figuing out the menu and ordering?

We got home around 2am and crashed! We woke up with enough time to get Channah from school, pack, and head to friendsi n Maale Adumim for shabbat.

I am now thouroughly beat, but relaxed, happy and in a great mood. A good nights sleep or two should kill the post vacation exhaustion and I will be ready and raring to go!

Kever Rachel (and other things from today)

Last week I saw an ad for a bus going to Kever Rachel from the Ramah for today. I emailed and signed up. Lor decided she wanted to come with me. I only got her becuase I "forgot" to mention the "wonderful stories and songs of Rochel Imeinu" promised for en route. It was an interesting trip. We were, by far, the biggest "goyim" on the trip, but we had a good and meaningful trip in any case. I had a list of roughly 30 names to keep in mind, and I did my best to do so.

I was never at Kever Rachel before it was "fortified", but I have to imagine hat going there prior to "the addition" was a completely different experience. Gone is the little dombed building that you see in all the post cards. The pillars and the gate are still there, but the roof has been removed and the building encased inside a veritable fortress with major security.

I was there 8 years ago and even then, though already fortified, it was a lot more open. The security fence" makes it feel a little bit like being inside a prison. Scary stuff... but only a little. The bus lets you off roughly 5 feet from the entrance and you are basically told to go right inside.

You walk into a small vestibule, than a long hallway. On your right is a sink. I understand that one needs to wash when they leave the building, but I am not sure why people wash on their way in. I have a hunch that it is "becuase it is there" so people just figure they are supposed to.

Here is a virtual tour of the building and lots of other neat stuff about Rachel and the kever including historical drawings and information. http://www.keverrachel.com/virtualtour.asp?lang=en&id=1&PageId=43

You walk down the hall. If there were any men with us they would have turned right just past the (vacant) security desk and gone into the men section. There is a ner tamid burning and that is about all I could see. Yep that is a dude in a tallit on the bottom right. I did not bother taking a picture of down the hallway as there was really not much to see.


Here is what is left of the picturesque building and its gates that were once here.They gaurd the path to the men's section.


This is the entrance to the antichamber to the kever itself. It is a room with benches and chairs around the perimeter, a well in one corner, and a wall of bookshelves fulled with siddurim, tehillim, etc. That small door leads to the actual kever.


Inside the actual kever. This was as close as I got. I have no idea why all the tombs of the avot and imahot and malachim, and, well, pretty anyone of biblical proportions have huge above ground matzevot like that, but they all do. And they are all covered with awesome coverings with embroidery and whatnot.


I gave some money to some of the people there. One gve me a pile of the traditional red strings. I took it home and played with one of them until I found something to do with it that was a little more unique than a "kabbalah string". Viking weave in fine silver with sterling finials and findings. Way more me. Yes I will have more like this for sale in the next few days.


When I got back to Beit Shemesh Lor and I went on a hunt to find the women's underwear store that sells Ballet dresses (that was all the information I got on where to go get channah's new uniform. Believe it or not, even with just that to go on we managed to find it! May I present to you a touch of gratuitious cuteness, the Channalina Ballerina!





So while all this is going on, a wonderful friend in Tel Aviv has offered to get me some wire that I need and drop it off as she will be driving by Beit Shemesh later on this evening. Great. I am so proud of myself, I even remember that I am in Israel now, and remember to switch my measurements to the metric system.

She calls me from the store, Rach, this is way mroe expensive than you told me. I coudl nto leave her hanging as it was already cut she would be on the hook (apart from being a really obnoxious thing to do to a friend doing me a favour, that would juts be all around a bad idea!). so I put it on my credit card. Problem solved, but why the heck was it so expensive.

Um, yeah. LEts go with I forgot that I could nto just write meters instead of feet without actually changing the quantity. I wanted 5 feet of the stuff and I got 5 meters of it! I'll say it was a little more expensive than I thought it would be!

Oh well, now I have wire to last a while at least.