By Zach Ainbinder-Barkley, NFTY in Israel Participant, Bus 2
This past Saturday, our tour group took a climb up Mt. Neshef (הר נשף) in the Negev. It was the afternoon, the hot sun beating down on us as if we were burgers on a flaming grill. We had had a long day; we started our morning with an early canyon hike with our Negev Tour-Guide and expert, Maor, followed by a beach and snorkeling getaway in the port town of Eilat.
We were all tired. When we returned to the Negev after our beach extravaganza, many of us were disappointed to see the sight of this Goliath of a mountain. It was massive, steep, and most importantly, intimidating. It would be accurate to say that our confidence levels were low.
As we began our trek upon Mt. Neshef, the climb was steeper than anything I had ever experienced in Tennessee, but I was excited to officially say that I climbed our first mountain. I trekked behind Maor, who lead the pack, as we began our climb. I had no idea how I would come out of this hike. My legs burned, others felt like quitting, but as I continued to ascend, I became more and more confident in my ability to reach the summit of Mt. Neshef.
As we arrived to the summit, we were asked to be quiet. We were told to be quiet, so we could experience the desert on a spiritual level. The view was spectacular. You could see Eilat, the Red Sea, as well as the countries of Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Many of us were in tears as we took in this breathtaking view. We were proud of our efforts and were all happy that we never gave up, as we celebrated one of our first accomplishments as a group. The Talmud says, “All dreams are fulfilled according to how they are interpreted,” we would have never been successful if we had believed in each other, and most importantly, ourselves.
