Ladies: Escape The Heat!

I found myself with just too much time on my hands the other day, when I was in Jerusalem. Of course, only later that night did I remember what I should have done and had planned on doing... Well, since I had finished studying Bible/Tanach Al Haperek, the Matan program, with my study group, near Mamilla Mall around 12:30, and had an early dinner date in Piccolino with another friend, it made sense to stay in Jerusalem.

Of course, I wanted to burn as many calories as possible and rev up my metabolism before eating out. The only real problem was the strong summer sun/heat. Of course, I could have just taken a bus to a mall and marched around, but I did not want to spend money.

The Old Jerusalem City Walls beckoned me, and I remembered that it was always much cooler and comfortable in the Old City, so I decided to go there and also pray at the Kotel. By the time I got to the Kotel, after a nice side-trip to our old haunts, where we had lived as new immigrants and newlyweds, I was exhausted, drenched and probably more than a bit dehydrated. The idea of sitting outside under the scorchingly hot early afternoon sun did not seem like a good idea. Luckily I remembered "the room."

On the right side of the wmn's Kotel area you'll see a few steps and a door to a small room. Decades ago, when I was in Israel as a student, I loved to sit there to pray and reflect. The only downside was the size, rather small, and the fact that there always seemed to be a mildew smell to it. But it did seem to be the best option, so I went in. NO SMELL! Also, it wasn't crowded. Since I'm not a "Kotel fan," I had no need to sit close to the Wall. I prefer praying in nearby Tel Shiloh!

"And the biggest surprise by far...*"

On the wall there was an air-conditioner!

So, not only is the Kotel the only place in downtown Jerusalem where women can pray and say Tehillim, Psalms, with dignity, but now we have a "weatherproof" protected room where we can escape the sun, wind and rain.

*Who knows where this line is from?

Sneaking into Shul

There's a synagogue in our Rami Levy supermarket, Sha'ar Binyamin. During afternoon and evening there are always calls on the loudspeaker inviting people aka men to doven (pray) Mincha and Ma'ariv, the afternoon and evening prayers. There's no women's section, no mechitza. But periodically, when I need a place to either say Tihillim, (Psalms) or Mincha I sneak in when it's empty.

And that's what I did yesterday. Before signing into work at Yafiz, I realized that, as I had gotten to work by tremp, hitchhiking, I hadn't said them.

Psalms in the Station, Only in Israel

The other day when I rushed into the Jerusalem Central Bus Station to get the bus home, somebody thrust something in my face. I replied with a gut reaction of "no." Then a split second later I noticed that a great variety of people, men and women, young and old were standing still reading from T'hillim booklets, the type from the sets which split the 150 into usually 28 equal-size portions.

I didn't go back to get one, because I was afraid I'd miss the bus, but I did take a couple of pictures.

Unlike Israel's south Jerusalem has been pretty much untouched by the war. But we're all one country and one people. And that's why people in the Central Bus Station were saying T'hillim, Psalms.

f2f at the fair and ...

First, and this part I'll cross-post on Shiloh Musings--
I'll be, G-d willing, at the International Book Fair tomorrow, that's Wednesday. I'll probably arrive after 1pm or so. I blogged about a f2f for jbloggers, but for some strange reason, I didn't get even a comment. I guess I'll be there for a few hours, unless it's a total waste. I'll go after the pool and after meeting a visiting friend for an early lunch.

I hope the Electric Company strike doesn't foul things up.


Yes, it's spring. You can tell by those flowers, which are suddenly beginning to bloom all over. Of course, it can always snow on Purim, which has happened every few years. Purim weather is very strange, sort or tricky, rather like the holiday itself. G-d calls the shots.

Two of the classes I teach are on their annual 3 day school trips, so I only taught two hours today instead of the usual six. The school changed the schedule, so the classes would be consecutive, rather than with a long break between, so I was able to get home for the weekly T'hilim Psalms reading we do. We share out the entire 150 chapters and dedicate it to the Refuah Shleimah, complete healing, also "match-making" and llui N'shmatom of the dead. After we finished I just had to photograph the sun as it went down over Ancient Shiloh.


And back to the "countdown" before Pesach. This is how my freezer looked when I came home from work today.

We're making progress, but there's still plenty in there.