An Extraordinary Shabbat in Tzfat
Even though I’ve been to Israel multiple times before, the longest I had ever been away from home was only two months - until now. It’s only been a month since we arrived, but we’ve already done so much, and this experience has truly been life changing.
Last Tuesday, we visited Tzfat, where we had a fascinating conversation about G-d and met a man named Abraham, who introduced us to Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) through his artwork. Then, on Friday, we had the privilege of returning to Tzfat, but this time, we stayed for Shabbat. We began the day by visiting a breathtaking hot spring, its blue color was beyond words! We swam in the water, explored a small cave, and later played instruments while singing Jewish songs to embrace the Shabbat spirit. Later that day, we heard meaningful stories about the history of the hotel we were staying at and even got the chance to braid challahs, which we later brought to our Shabbat dinners. As we welcomed Shabbat by lighting candles, we joined another group for services, and it was an absolute joy to dance and sing with them. For dinner, we split into small groups and were invited into the homes of host families. This was an amazing experience because the families were very Orthodox Chabad Jews, which was a completely new experience for many of us. Getting to know them and seeing their way of life was incredibly eye-opening.
On Saturday morning, we heard the story of Elon Rom, a man who went from training to be a Buddhist monk to becoming an Orthodox Jew. His story was both amusing and fascinating, and he even taught us some meditation techniques to help us get in the right mindset before lunch. Later, we hiked up a mountain, where we saw the most incredible view of Tzfat. But my favorite part of the week came after. We entered a pitch-black cave, and, at the very end, we saw just a sliver of light. Then, a group of yeshiva boys and girls joined us, and we all started singing Jewish songs together. The way the music echoed through the cave gave me chills, and I could tell that many of us felt deeply moved. At that moment, I realized why I’m in Israel and what this journey truly means to me. As we walked out of the cave, we were greeted by an absolutely stunning sunset over the mountains. To close off Shabbat, we had a communal Havdalah service with everyone in the community. Even though we had only met them on Friday, it felt like we had become a real part of their community.
Overall, my time in Tzfat was an incredibly emotional and religious experience, and I feel so honored to have been part of it. My time in Israel so far has been nothing short of extraordinary, and I can’t wait to see what the next three months have in store.
