Dear Yallah! Israel Families,
As we prepare for Shabbat in Israel, we reflect on a week full of inspired learning, religious landmarks, sweeping desert landscapes, and new sights, sounds, and smells of Israel’s ancient cities.
This past week, some highlights from our groups include hiking up Masada, swimming in the Dead Sea, and ascending to Jerusalem to connect to core Jewish values and explore their relevance to our lives today. Some groups visited the City of David, where we told the story of Bat-Sheba and shared that unlike Leonard Cohen and many artists, the Bible puts full accountability on King David and none on Bat-Sheba. We also enjoyed time in the water at the pool or beach, a welcome respite from the hot Israeli sun.
In this week’s Torah portion, we read about the daughters of Zelophehad fighting for women’s rights. We continue to strive every day in our bus communities to model this notion and to improve the way we behave toward our fellow human beings.
We are all looking forward to Shabbat after a whirlwind week. Whether spent in the Jerusalem Mountains where we embrace the feeling described in the book of Psalms:
“Jerusalem, mountains enfold it, and the Lord enfolds His people now and forever,” or in the bustle of Tel Aviv, we welcome the rest as we prepare ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually for another week of adventure.
Shabbat Shalom,
Yallah! Israel team
