Spaceman Shmuel, Intrepid Explorer of Orthodox Judaism.
Actually its really hard to learn in a yeshiva without committing to the Orthodoxy. I'm finding this out the hard way. My level of emotional stress has been way high these past few days, I have to grab onto a piece of secular life in order to regain my sense of comfort. I wonder how long the 6 cd's I brought with me will last before I get sick of them. On the plus side, I think that just as Torah is considered by many to a bottomless fountain of knowledge, Radiohead can so too be considered an infinite source of wisdom.
I'm on the rooftop of a yeshiva building in the old city. Being a grizzled veteran of Boston winter has not made me any more comfortable in this harsh Jerusalem climate. Show me 95 degree heat, I'm ready to bask.
I got back yesterday night from the Golan Heights and the Galilee up north. I got to do a lot of stuff that I wouldn't be able to do on my own and without a car. So I'm pretty thankful.
The Golan is beautiful except for all the barbed wire and landmine warnings.
No it actually is beautiful, on a clear day you can see the Hermon, highest mountain in Israel and covered with snow, perched at the very top of the country knocking on Syria and Lebanon's doors. It all used to be Syria's land actually, until they got housed by the Israelis repeatedly. I was told that Eli Cohen, the great Israeli spy in Syria, suggested to the Syrian army the strategy of planting eucalyptus trees on the plateau of the Heights and shooting from their cover. Cohen then instructed the Israelis to shoot at the trees. The trick appears to have worked.
There are a lot of destroyed bunkers resting broken among the sparse trees. There is also an abundance of free-range grass-fed cows, and grape orchards, wild mint, and wild boars. I also saw the mighty Jordan river, and let me tell you something, it's not so mighty, at least not up North.
Oh, my lord, I almost forgot, by far the most ridiculous and amazing experience was going to Hamat Geder, which is a mineral hot springs just off the shore of the Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). Since we were on a religious trip, the only night we could go was the once-weekly Mens Only session on Sunday night. Wall-to-wall Chasidic men in 95 degree pools smelling like hard-boiled eggs. It was very relaxing, though religious Jews often have better things to do than take care of their bodies. When I hang around people who are so driven and faithful and ascetic, it makes me think they are almost inhuman. But then they take off their shirts and put on their swim trunks, and the human frailty of it all is VERY apparent. Also there is, as rumored, no such thing as waiting in line in Israel. It took some serious effort to get the jacuzzi jets.
So now I am here in Jerusalem again, and thankfully the holiness of this place has not worn off. The ancient arches and dim lanterns are still amazing to behold. It is hard for me to go to class without coming to the conclusion that if I don't follow the 613 Mitzvot I am going to burn in Gehenna, but I am talking to a lot of interesting, and frequently, laid back men,young and old, and am spending a lot of time contemplating Orthodoxy and Liberalism and those utopias/dystopias I read in college. This morning I took a personal day and walked downtown, running into an Italian-Jewish Art Museum and writing a bunch in my journal over cappucino after wandering in the rain. This is what makes me happy. I need to do more of this.
