Hannukah

Whether you spell it channukah, hanukah, hannucka or any other way, the holiday has just ended and it was amazing to experience it here in Israel. Christmas trees where almost impossible to find here. However, Channukias were everywhere! My mom is in Israel so I traveled a lot this past week showing her around our beautiful country (which explains why I am not posting so much), and everywhere in this country, from Jerusalem to Eilat, you find some channukias celebrating the holiday. It is truly amazing.

I think my mom is enjoying her trip very much. She went all around the country. It's her first time in Israel in 26 years! Last time she came, she was preparing her papers to make aliyah! She always tells me how she remembered Israel as a small country without any major cities. Nowadays it is completely different. Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beer Sheva, Haifa, and now Modiin, all huge cities!

I went to the north yesterday and I really like it up there. Tfat, Tveria and all the cities around are truly beautiful. The scenic view is amazing and the communities seem nice also. It’s really a different world then in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv but its also very nice.

My mom went down to Eilat today while I stayed in Yeshiva to do a bit of learning (that’s what I came here to do no? :-)) In general, now that 4 months have passed since I came to Israel, I can say that it is absolutely everything I expected, and then more. The past 4 months were truly amazing and make me wonder how I would ever be able to leave this country. I really don't think I'll be able. I feel like a plant here with very deep roots, like we pray every shabbat, shetaalenu besimcha leartsenu, vetitaenu bigvulenu: May you let us rise happily to our land, and plant us inside our borders.

Bimhera Beyamenu