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IAO (Israel Appreciation Observation) - Day 4

July 6, 2007 |

So I’m going to start abbreviating the titles of these posts because I’m getting tired of typing Israel Appreciation Observation over and over again. Since today is Friday, Erev Shabbat, I think that the choice for today’s post should be obvious. Our IAO for today is:

Shabbat in Israel

sunset

I don’t even really know if this one needs clarification. Anyone who has ever experienced Shabbat anywhere in Israel knows that there is literally a palpable feeling of sabbath no matter where you are. One possible exception was when we were in Eilat for Shabbat, but since, technically, Eilat is not part of Eretz Yisrael and only really part of Medinat Yisrael I’m going to ignore that exception.

It doesn’t matter if you are in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, when Friday evening comes in Israel, you can feel it. There is a quiet that descends upon the land. If you close your eyes and listen you can actually hear hundreds of thousands of women making the blessing on the Shabbat candles. You can smell the shampoo from the freshly showered and shaved men on their way to shul. You can taste the sweet challah and feel the week end. It is truly a unique experience. Of course, if Shabbat in Israel is like a night of peaceful rest in a pleasant hotel on the beach, Shabbat in Jerusalem is like spending the weekend in the palace of a king. I’m sure that analogy has been used before, however, let me elaborate by saying that it is like a weekend in the palace of a king who has decided that he no longer wants to be in the king business and is therefore passing all his material wealth and privileges onto you and furthermore has instructed his palace staff that you are now “king in residence” and that if anyone does anything to make your stay other than spectacular his head will be decorating the front gate. Sorry, I got caught up in the visual.

Shabbat in Israel. It is definitely worthy of appreciation.

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