The Kotel

This photo was taken on February 6th, 2019 at the Kotel in Jerusalem. The Kotel is a significant part of the lives of many Jews, as it is one of the holiest places of the Jewish Religion. Being here made me really emotional. Although I had already been in Israel for a couple weeks, being at the Kotel made me feel like I was at the heart of Judaism. There is something about a place that people come to pour out their entire lives into and cry and laugh together that makes me feel like I am at the top of the world. While there, I just couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I am to be here and how amazing my family is for supporting me. Ever since I was little it has been my dream to live in Israel, I want to serve in the IDF and live permanently here. Being able to fulfill such a huge dream of mine means the world to me, and being at the kotel just made me feel like I was part of something greater than myself. We started off the day by going to Sataf and learning about the story of Ruth, which so far has been my favorite story in all the Tanach. We talked about the power of converting to Judaism and how converts are actually the most devoted to their religion, as they made the choice to believe and experience something else. We also discussed how therefore, the line of David comes from Ruth, and continued to talk about David’s story. We discussed how G-D’s prediction about kings was true, when David began to act disrespectfully and conceitedly towards his wife Michal, in addition to other people. In addition, while at Sataf we discussed the agricultural and cultural aspects of living in this area during biblical times. We discussed the concept of terrace farming in addition to how tzedakah in the ancient world was based on agriculture. Leket, Peah, and Olilot are all forms of agricultural based tzedakah which helped minorities such as orphans and widows at the time. I had such a great time on this trip, and most definitely enjoyed walking through David’s tunnels and praying at the Kotel. I look forward to our next visit to Jerusalem! - Karin