Shabbat Shalom.

Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles: I slept through the call to prayer this morning! For the first time. Did I mention that I live in the Muslim quarter and that there is call to prayer every morning at 4:30 am? Because there is. I enjoy it at any other time of day, but not that early. The first night sleeping here was a halting experience. I wasn’t warned in advance, first off, and it sounded like there was a man standing in my room, praying in Arabic. That is how loud it is. My professor, in an attempt to comfort us, likened it to living next to train tracks. We’ll get used to it. But I lived next to train tracks, and this isn’t quite the same.

Last night I was blessed to share in welcoming in Shabbat, or the Sabbath, with the Jews of Jerusalem. And at the Western Wall at that. Just a little history before we begin...the stones are over 2,000 years old, from the time of Christ. Christ, in fact, passed by this wall, which is a portion of the retaining wall of the temple, built by Herod the Great. The stones of the wall are 16 feet thick. This site is considered to be one of the holiest, if not the holiest, site to many Jews. That is because this is the closest  many Jews can come to the original temple ground. Because of this, the Western Wall is also referred to as the Wailing Wall. By law, Orthodox Jews are forbidden to cross the wall. If you wish to get close to the wall, there is a separation of men from women. Men must have their heads covered to enter into the open air synagogue. There, prayers are said and celebration is had. The religiosity there ranges from Orthodox Jew [in their traditional garb] to cultural [but not religious] Jews to students from our program wearing the disposable Kippahs that they provide. Women can not enter the central area of the Wall, but can also pray, as well as sing and dance. I did all these things with Jewish women about my age and it was wonderful! I waited in front of the wall until I was able to step in and place my hands on the wall and say a prayer. I want to go back later and add a written prayer of mine to the hundreds that are stuffed into the cracks of the wall. I  was then pulled into a circle of dance and Hebrew song. You know, the kind that you see in the Fiddler on the Roof marriage scene. It was so fun. Them Jews know how to have a good time. And there was an incredible sense of community there, pardoning the difference of beliefs. The night was a beautiful blend of both prayer and celebration to welcome in the Sabbath. A lovely blend of the peace that comes with worship and the joy that we find in the Spirit. SHABBAT SHALOM!