12/19/13
Today we visited the northern city of Tzfat. My friend, who
attended Stanford’s Birthright trip last June, said to me before this trip,
“Make sure you breathe in the beauty in Tzfat.” Tzfat is the center of
Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism.
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We had a fun-filled day in Tzfat, starting with Tzfat
Candles, which had everything ranging from havdalah candles to a cute wax
turtle that my friend bought.
Afterwards, we went to the Ari Synagogue, which is a homey
synagogue initially built in the mid-16th century and rebuilt in
1837. There is a bullet hole on the side of the bimah. During the War of
Independence, a bullet was shot into the synagogue and missed everyone because
it was at the exact moment the congregation was bowing, and the bullet lodged
into the side of the bimah. No one was hurt. It is stories like this one that
illuminate the beauty and miraculous nature of the city.
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We visited the Kabbalah Art Gallery, which had incredible
paintings inspired by Kabbalistic ideas. Many of the paintings incorporated the
Tree of Life. The Tree of Life, according to Kabbalah, is representative of the
soul. The soul is eternal and we must embrace both body and soul, making
ourselves comfortable with the eternity.
It was really amazing to go around the city during lunch. We
had lunch at a Yemenite place that asked if we wanted our sandwiches with
“American spicey or Yemenite spicey”. Additionally, we explored 16th
century caves that contained a mikveh, a ritual bathtub. It is very
inspirational to think that customs today have been present throughout many generations.
After getting a taste of Tzfat, we headed (in a lot of
traffic) to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, we were blindfolded as we got off the bus,
and taken to a viewpoint that overlooks the Old City. I can’t even describe the
warm feeling I felt in my heart when I opened my eyes and saw all of the Old
City.
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I can’t wait for the rest of the trip and to explore
Jerusalem!
Debra Leinfield
Stanford University
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