to the south for 4 days. We got on the bus early in the morning
(during which time I, of course, fell asleep) and woke up to a barren
landscape of beige. Initially not so incredibly thrilling, but I grew
to truly fall in love with the desert.
After visiting the grave site of Ben Gurion, we met our desert guide
and went on what they told us was an "easy" hike. My friends, it was
not easy. Although it started slow, soon we were doing some intense
climbing up a mountain. It's probably one of the hardest (albeit
short) hikes I've ever been on.
The view at the top was entirely
worth it though. All you can see forever are beautiful rolling
mountains in shades of red, gold, beige, and yellow. When the light
hits it just right at sunset, the mountains turn to a beautiful light
pink color. Gorgeous.
That night we stayed in a Bedouin tent where we were told stories and
got to eat wonderful, delicious food! The stars in the desert are
absolutely stunning. They seem so much closer, almost like you could
reach out and grab one. However, it also gets very cold in the Negev
at night, so I soon had to go back inside to warm up.
The next day was a day of hiking. I chose to go on the "easy" or more
relaxed hike...ultimately an excellent decision for me! I was able to
really take my time and walk around and observe on this hike. Our
guide showed us lots of interesting plants and bugs as we walked as
well as explained to us about our surroundings. Later that evening we
went to Kibbutz Yahel. This is the oldest Reform kibbutz in Israel!
The evening was pretty relaxing and allowed time to just hang out with
friends.
Friday, we went to Kibbutz Lotan (also a Reform Kibbutz). This
kibbutz is incredibly environmentally aware. Many of their structures
(a bus stop, things for kids to climb on, etc) are built around
recycled materials and then covered with a mud mixture and then bright
paint colors. They have also made little guest houses this way and
insulate them with hay (which supposedly keeps them cool in the summer
and warm in the winter). It's apparently a pretty easy process and so
most of what is built is able to be completed by the residents who
live on Lotan. It's a great, special place and I highly recommend
visiting the next time you find yourself in the Negev Desert. Following our visit, we drove down to Eilat to go snorkeling. It was a bit too chilly for me, but the water looked beautiful.
Saturday I had the opportunity to lead Shabbat morning services with
Amy (roommate) and Jason (boyfriend). These services were
particularly special because we were in the middle of the desert.
Without even intending for it to be this way, the services were
incredibly relaxed just by virtue of our setting in nature. We
inserted different poems about nature into the service by different
Israeli authors. Here is my favorite:
I see You in the starry field,
I see You in the harvest's yield,
In every breath, in every sound,
An echo of Your name is found.
The blade of grass, the simple flower,
Bear witness to Your matchless power.
In wonderworkings,
or some bush aflame,
Men looking for God and fancy Him concealed;
But in earth's common things He stands revealed
While grass and flowers and stars spell out His name.
~Ibn Ezra
During the Torah service, we gave a few options. You could either
break into different groups and discuss questions from this past
week's Haftorah, or take the opportunity to go by yourself into the
desert to wander/think/whatever you please. I chose the second
option. I found a small tree (the location was in a dry riverbed.
Although most of the year it remains dry, water does occasionally run
which means there is vegetation) to sit in and thought. I realized
that it had been a long time since I last sat by myself with no other
distractions. I had nothing to steal my attention away -- only time.
It's very important I think to have time with yourself. This is what
the desert taught me and I will now try and incorporate more into my
life.
After lunch and an afternoon nap, we packed our stuff up onto the bus
and drove back to Jerusalem. Now I'm home and faced with lots of work
before I finally reach Spring Break next week. However, my sister
comes Thursday!!!! Watch out Jerusalem! The Krevsky girls are in
town :)
I hope all is well with you and spring is starting to emerge back at
home. I shall hopefully talk to you soon!
