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Shabbat Shalom! We made it to our 2nd Shabbat in Israel. Our group has gotten to know each other in ways we probably didn’t think were possible. We have taken in the old and the new, the archeology and the innovation. 

Today was a very fun and different day. While every other day had us walking in the footsteps of our ancestors, today we spent our time...shopping! Some walked a short ways to the Tel Aviv home of David Ben Gurion and took in his magnificent library of over 30,000 books. Later our group went to Nahalat Binyamin, an incredible artisans market. In the words of Carol Turoff, “when the going gets tough, the tough get shopping.”

Our last few hours will be spent in Jerusalem eating, laughing, praying and digesting our experience. 

Our Torah portion, Tetsaveh, reminds us how important olive oil is to bring light to the Israelites in the desert. I see such a connection between this middle eastern staple, the olive, and the Jew. When we are pressed we produce. The olive puts out oil and we: create high tech, make the desert bloom, engineer Iron Dome, and design apps like Waze. Each of us is touched by the products of Israel whether we have visited or not. I hope that if you want to visit the Holy Land for the first time or make it back again, our community can make that happen so you can see these fruits for yourself.

 
Kol tuv (all the best),
Rabbi Bernstein