Goodbye

This is my last post from Eretz Israel, I can hardly believe it. I spent last week up North Safed was beautiful as always. The klezmer festival was a ton of fun. I had no plans going up there and was going to travel alone. Fortunately I was joined by a motley crew, as always with no real plan I had a great time. I dipped in the Ari’s mikveh, visited Rabbi Shimon bar Yokai’s kever in Meron and danced with thousands and thousands of people late into the night in Safed. I also got a chance to go sailing off the coast with friends. It was amazing we sailed from Akko to Haifa on a thirty foot sailing boat up and down the coast. I got to man the ship doing everything from hoisting the sail to taking the wheel. All in all I’d say it was a successful last week here in the Holy Land. For Shabbos I went to Rabbi H’s any all time classic for me, in the first three months here I went every other Shabbat, I got a little misty between Kiddush and Hamotzi as the reality of leaving hit me for the first time. He is one of the kindness and most gentle souls I have ever known. My father remarked after he met him, he is a man who has found his calling in this world. I also had a wonderful second meal and got to do third meal and havdallah with Rabbi B, one of the most remarkable people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. As I walked though the Old City with him Hassid’s and students alike approached him with questions, well wishes on his daughters’ engagement, etc. As patient as he is wise, he would stop and make time for everyone on the two minute walk though the square that took a half and hour. I have learned an immense amount not just from our talks but also but observing him being quite in his company. I owe a great debt to those two and many, many others. Also to the many amazing friends I’ve made here who have been there with me though the good, bad and ugly. As with most things in life the people really make the experience and my experience in Israel has been filled with seekers, people who are looking to become better more complete people. They’re not always perfect but at least the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet are trying and that is saying something. I feel like there’s so much more I could say about this experience, certainly looking back at all my posts on this blog I realize I have. But nothing will every truly capture in for what it actually was. Words in the end are dead how to you truly express the feeling you get standing at the Kotel praying, at times pleading to god for mercy for an illumination on your path. How do you describe walking though the hills and valleys of antiquity with people you’ve known for a few months but feel like you’ve know forever? I don’t know but I’ve tried my best to capture my experience in the truest and most honest way I could. I know now that as I leave I try to do justice to this feeling as well, but in the end I’ll fail, hopefully spectacularly but fail I will. So I won’t try to keep doing so. At the end of the day I’ll know that this was real. I’ll hopefully have been able to impact the many people I’ve met here in some way just as they have impacted me so greatly. And I know that I’ll never be the same person I might have been had I never picked up and set off on this crazy journey and I don’t regret a moment, not one solitary single moment. I love this land and these people they are my heritage. Shalom Alechem and until later then from Eretz Israel.