Pleasures Great and Small

There are so many pleasures to enjoy here. Last week the country celebrated the holiday called "Shavu'ot" -- the Feast of Weeks. Shavu'ot marks the end of 7 weeks following Pesach (Passover) -- weeks in which in Orthodox communities it is forbidden to marry except on the 33rd day after Passover, when it is permitted. I forget why -- Frank probably knows. The holiday marks the day when the children of Israel received the Torah on Mt. Sinai. It also celebrates the bringing of the first fruits as sacrifice to the Temple in the spring. So there are really a multitude of things that happen here. One of the most important aspects of the celebration is a dairy meal -- cheese-filled blintzes, cheesecake -- sold and made and eaten in a veritable orgy of sweetened milk and cream! In the synagogue we read from the Torah the chapter on the Ten Commandments. On kibbutzim it is a spring celebration with a big parade featuring all the newborns on the kibbutz -- babies, lambs, puppies, kittens, foals, calves, baby goats -- and including any new machinery purchased in the past few months. Schools are out, shops are closed, and the people celebrate. Everyone greets everyone else with "Hag sameach!" which means Happy Holiday. And on Shabbat everyone greets everyone with "Shabbat shalom." Sweet.





Here's something else. They sell spices in the shopping mall -- spices and nuts and dried fruit -- all out in barrels and bowls. I have been buying these exotic mixtures that you put in rice. So delicious, so unlike anything you can get in Chapel Hill (as far as I know). Lovely to look at and tasty. Wish I knew more about them. They all have their unique uses -- for rice, for grilling meat, for boiling chicken, for making dessert...



And another thing: at the beach on Shabbat afternoon and evening they have "rikudei am" -- national dancing. You might think that this was traditional Israeli folk dancing, but it isn't. It's actually what we call line dancing -- everyone knows the steps and does the same thing to the music. There are apparently lots of groups that dance several times a week -- each song has special steps, some quite complicated. It's just lovely to watch -- all ages, dress, ethnicity, gender, thin and fat, short and tall, young and old. It would even be better to be among them, but it would take more learning dance steps than I have time for.



And lastly, today I wend to Tel Aviv to spend some time with an old and dear friend of mine. Somehow when I got off the train I got turned the wrong way and ended up in the heart of the financial district rather than in the front of the train station. I was in a canyon of tall, beautiful, brand new buildings -- very impressive. Then I went to lunch with Ruti at a restaurant not far from there -- very new, like a bistro, delicious salads. But when I wanted to go to the loo, I was directed to take the key and go outside until I came to a big door that said "OO" which is the symbol for the toilet here and in Europe. So I am including here a picture of the tall buildings and a picture of the door to the bathroom. What a contrast!! Israel is often a country of contrasts.



And here's a beautiful passion flower that I found on the way home...