It was Friday at sundown, which marks the
beginning of Shabbat.
Shabbat is very important in the
Jewish religion. It means a day of rest, and occurs weekly. The majority of
Israel shuts down on Shabbat. No cars are on the road, no cell phones are used,
no technology whatsoever.
Walking the streets of Jerusalem,
lost, I asked a man for directions. I was running late to Shabbat dinner, very
flustered.
The man left his family at home to
walk me two miles to my destination. Along the way, a young man came up to us.
He asked if we knew of anywhere to have Shabbat dinner, because his friends
never showed up.
The man guiding me said, “Yes, I do.
Come with me. We’ll eat dinner at my home.”
Just like that. I was shocked.
This was my first trip to Israel,
and honestly, I was a bit nervous to enter a country that is constantly at war.
I had just figured that the people’s attitudes must be rotten due to their
living situations.
But this; this I had not expected.
Picking up a man off the street? With
so much kindness and respect towards one another? Inviting him into your home?
I’ve never seen anything like it.
Finally, we reached the house where
I would eat. As I thanked them both for their generosity, they asked when I had
arrived. I told them just last week. The two men smiled and replied, “Welcome
home.”
I chose this specific photo for my first post because when I took it, I was in awe with how beautiful the country was. It was my first time visiting Israel and learning about my heritage, meeting my family, and experiencing a connection so beyond words. I wrote about an experience that has stuck with me throughout the years, and has reminded me that there is such good in this world, even if we do not see it at first. I came into Israel so close-minded, already judging everyone living there because of what I had constantly heard on the news; when in fact, I ended up meeting the most amazing, kindhearted people I have ever come to know. Every day spent in the country was just as touching as the instance I wrote about. Looking back, this picture is a reminder to always keep my mind and my heart open to new things-- and I tried to exemplify these feelings in my post.
ReplyDeleteThroughout your post, the language is descriptive but still very clear, and I think the simplicity of presentation adds to the sense of how remarkable the story is, and how simply this man offered help to strangers. This post also really engaged with the culture by centering around Shabbat, and that helps ground the reader in the society and customs rather than just geographically; it gives them a sense of what’s important in this particular place which, being out of the U.S., is very different. And defining Shabbat was definitely helpful; I knew what it was, but having it spelled out emphasizes its importance, and gives context for the man’s actions. If you know of any websites explaining Shabbat in greater depth, or one that describes what Shabbat consists of, including a hyperlink to that would have been interesting to get a deeper glimpse into the traditions associated with it. Titling this post “Home” was also a really interesting choice, given that the narrator is visiting, but the traditions connect them with their surroundings.
ReplyDeleteThe photo you chose gave a general sense of place with the flag in the foreground without stating exactly where the narrator was, which lends a sort of intrigue as you don’t give any specific sense of a precise location until a few lines in. Also, I like that you chose a photo that shows a city skyline in the background, because typically when people think of Israel, they seem to tend more towards deserts and camels, not realizing that cities and skyscrapers and highly developed areas exist there. In conjunction with the text of your post describing the practice of a religious and cultural tradition, the photo of a large city draws a connection between the two that I think doesn’t come up often today and gets ignored as a result.