This week was by far the best week yet. It started out with being able to see my parents and my sister over the opened Shabbat. They picked me up and we went to the mall, talked, caught up with everything, and spend a wonderful weekend in Tel Aviv. Not only was it great to see them, but also it was a little bit nice to get a break. It was great being able to sleep in my own bed, away from campus, and spending quality vacation time with my family.

After the open Shabbat, we had school for a few days and then we went to these amazing caves that were used a long time ago to store food and we crawled through them. It was so cool fitting our bodies through the smallest holes in the middle of a cave. On the way back we stopped at a gas station for the bathroom, and at random, I ran into my family at the same gas station. Now that is what I call Jewish geography! While I at lunch they were able to meet my teacher Lisa and my other madrichim. After this tiyul, the week slowly came to an end while I waited restlessly to go to my all time favorite city in Israel, Tzfat. Every time I go to Tzfat, it opens my eyes, and in a way it changes aspects of my life. The vibe that this city brings is amazing. On Friday, I walked the streets of the old city and I observed the preparation for Shabbat. To me, Shabbat is the best time of the week. Every week, I look forward to Shabbat. I love the feeling it brings, and I love shutting down for a day. This is the feeling I had in Tzfat but on a much bigger scale. I can see the kids going to school in the morning and getting picked up early. I smell the Shabbat dinner coming from the houses. I feel the city preparing for the Sabbath and it was amazing. We went to an orthodox kabbalat Shabbat service and it was something I loved. I now see why they separate the men from the women. Not because it is sexist, but it eliminates any distraction. The people at that synagogue prayed with so much passion and love that I was proud to be there. The energy in the room filled my heart and united all us boys to the Jewish community of Tzfat. The next day, the city was silent, and I sat outside for hours taking in every moment of Shabbat in Tzfat. On Friday night, all the boys went into a 500 year old mikvah. This was by far the most meaningful experience I have had in regards to my religion since being at the kotel. I dipped seven times because I have seven members of my immediate family with my dogs, for the seven days of the week, and I was born in the seventh month of the year. But with all of this, I was able the be a part of the most powerful experience I have ever been able to do in Israel.

In my real life, a huge part of my life is USY. In USY we have a tradition on Saturdays to sing sloach (slow ruach). We sing the most beautiful songs with such enthusiasm that I look forward to it the most. In Tzfat, on Saturday, we all went deep into a dark cave. At the end of the cave there was a huge dome shape room. In this room was a group of orthodox men that looked my age singing sloach. I honestly was about to crY. This did remind me of USY but also of camp and those are two aspects that make up who I am today. I wanted to join so I did and so did all the boys. They were singing song that I knew, songs from USY and camp and I was maybe the happiest guy in that room. I was in a cave with a bunch of strangers singing songs that I love with all my heart. This is the greatest and most powerful city in the world and I was so pleased I was able to spend Shabbat there. I hope more tiyuls can be as great as this one was!!