Life in Israel follows the highs and lows of the Jewish calendar; the lows of Tisha B'av and Yom Kippur and the highs of Simchat Torah and Purim and everything in between. A commonly used phrase in Israel, that even my classmates and I began to adopt, is "After the Chaggim"-meaning after Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. As my aunt and uncle pointed out, with all of these holidays it really is hard to get anything done during the months of September/October, or in the Jewish calendar, the month of Tishri. Somehow, this year, this Tishri, with all of its holidays both celebratory and reflective, really brought me into a new space. Maybe this was caused by the physical change in scenery. After all, I am living in Eretz Israel. Yom Kippur, a normal day in the states, is observed even by secular Jews in Israel (in their own way). The Jewish holidays take on a totally different shape in Israel. On Yom Kippur all traffic stops. No one drives, and you can sit in the middle of the street. Although most secular Jews in Israel don't attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, it is often called by secular Jews, the Holiday of Bikes because instead of driving everyone takes their children outside to ride bikes. Sukkot is perhaps even more of an experience as sukkot (small hut like structures) can be spotted on just about every mirpeset (balcony) in Jerusalem, and when during Simchat Torah people take to dancing in the streets. What an odd and yet beautiful experience the HHDs (High Holy Days) are in Israel. There sure is nothing else like it.
In contrast to the high holidays in Israel, my trip with my aunt and uncle to Prague was more or less secular in contrast to the very Jewish space of Israel. There were no obvious signs of Jewish life--no sukkot, no giant Hebrew signs. It was odd to see signs not in Hebrew, most things were in English and Czech. In some ways it was refreshing to get away from school and to do be out of Israel. My trip gave me the first hint of fall! The leaves had begun to change in Prague. The air was cool, and it rained! Boy, did it rain. We had sprinkles during Sukkot in Israel (which is not the best of omens, but still beautiful for a rain lover like myself), but we had real rain in Prague. Prague sure knows its rain! Prague, in addition to the simple existence of Fall, is by far the most beautiful city I have ever traveled to. I couldn't believe my eyes. The scenery was picturesque and the people were so kind, and oh the Jazz, and the meat and potatoes!
All of this relaxing, and eating, including a lovely reclusive shabbat following my travels, didn't quite prepare me for the onslaught of mid-terms. I am back to the grind of school, but I can't help but admit that I'm really looking forward to writing some of my first papers in months and to really dig deeper into my thoughts on prayer and God through our Mabat groups and Tefilah (Prayer) Journals.
Now, in contrast to midterms and the to-do lists that are piling up on my desk, we have this funny little thing that us silly Americans will be celebrating in Israel called Halloween-- filled with costumes (maybe even during our field trip to Qumran! Yes, we're going to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered!), pumpkin flavored treats, and maybe even some candy corn. You can take the Americans out of the States, but Halloween stays. I think we're all looking forward to some time to let off a bit of steam in the wake of exams, and Halloween candy or whatever we can get our hands on in terms of candy will surely do the trick (pun intended).
Here I am finally "After the Chaggim," and besides mid terms and looking forward to Halloween, I still really haven't figured out what this "After the Chaggim" means. What will my life look like in a few weeks when the year really gets into full swing? What more does this year have in store for me? All I know is I can't wait to find out.
Pictures of Prague coming soon!
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