The Adams Street Shul

Hard as it is to believe, the two weeks of this wonderful visit to Israel and family are rapidly coming to a close. My schedule calls for my leaving from Ben Gurion airport Sunday night (Israeli time) and arriving at Logan airport on Monday morning.

Let me share a few more experiences with you.

Everything comes to rest here on Shabbat. I "davened" at a very large new shul and then we had our Friday night meal at the home of Sharona and Benzi. Their six boys made sure that there was never a dull moment.

Services on Shabbat morning began at 8:30 and I was pleasantly surprised to have received Maftir. Hopefully, I didn't make any mistakes as my daughters always raise their fingers to indicate the amount.

There was a major happening on Saturday night . Yair (my grandson) and Tanya's son, Or Eitan, had reached the "age of learning" on his third birthday. There was a large gathering of relatives and friends. I was asked to place the "Talit Katan" on him as I had done for his father when he was about that age. If you'd like to see part of the affair, go to YouTube and click on "OEY Eisenstock."

Last Monday was Rosh Chodesh Adar II. Yair, with many of his students and friends, led a Shacharit at the Kotel. It was a "Vatikin service" which was meant to coincide with the dawn. We drove through the dark streets. As the sun rose over Jerusalem, we prayed, sang and danced right in front of the Kotel. They even asked me to lead the Mussaf service.

Another highlight was Binyamin, Sharona and Benzi's six year old son, being one of a huge amount of boys and girls, receiving his Chumash at his school's celebration. It was an inspirational affair and the refreshments (of course!) were delicious.

Rain has finally descended on us. Yesterday, there were some heavy hail storms. Today, it is cold, windy and raining. However, there is a lot of disappointment because the predicted snow is in the form of rain. Oh, well .... the day is not over yet.

Soon it will be my second Shabbat here and then it is back to Newton. Even amidst all the wonderful experiences here, I think of you and miss you -my extended family - and look forward to joining you soon.

Shabbat Shalom ... Rabbi Norbert Weinberg