Rabbi Bloom's Sabbatical Blog

  Shavuot . A few years ago, the congregation allowed me to take a special trip to Israel just to observe this incredible holiday in Israel. Yet Shavuot is the least well known and most underrated of all the major Jewish Holidays. Ask someone if they have heard of Chanukah, and the answer is almost always yes. Ask about Shavuot, and even most Jews are befuddled. Shavuot celebrates the receiving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. It is actually one of the three great Pilgrimage Holidays, along with Passover and Sukkkot. But Passover has the Seder and Sukkot has the Sukka (temporary hut like dwelling), and Shavuot, often occurring after school has been let out, doesn't quite have the attention grabber. But it does have great traditions, including the eating of dairy foods (the reasons are  manifold ), as well as the tradition to stay up all night studying sacred Jewish texts, called Tikkun Leil Shavuot. Back home, we only make it until Midnight. Here in Israel, most of the sessions don'

  Yom Yerushalayim, the Beautiful . This past week we celebrated Jerusalem Day, essentially the day on the Hebrew Calendar that Jerusalem was recaptured from Jordan during the Six Day War and a united city once again. After the War of Independence in 1948, Jews were removed from the Old City of Jerusalem, not even allowed to visit sites like the Western Wall, and that lasted until 1967. This day celebrates the day. People, especially children of all ages, walk around with Israeli flags and sing songs about Jerusalem. The passion and pride in the people is a beautiful thing to watch. I attended a very special morning service at the Haas Promenade, which overlooks the entire Old City. Here are a couple videos and pictures, which should give you some idea. Overlooking the entire Old City And a protest for those who feel it came at the expense of the Palestinians. Just so you know I'm there Yom Yerushalayim , the Ugly. Unfortunately, over the last few years, the day has become excessiv

  Petra--Beautiful AND Uncomfortable . We took a 2 day trip from Jerusalem to see what is considered one of the 7 wonders of the modern world. Imagine if Bryce and Zion National Parks had cities built into them, with ancient shrines/temples/graves and revolutionary water management, then you'd have Petra. It was built primarily by the Nabateans but also utilized by Greeks, Romans, and various Muslim conquerors over the centuries. It was beautiful and inspiring. I had some great hikes, and the time spent there was great, if a little tiring. We also saw Jeresh, the ruins of an Alexandrian city from 2000 years ago. We were supposed to see Mount Nebo, where Moses looked over Israel and died before entering, but the pace was too slow, and we had to skip it. But I'm not sure this trip was worth it. It was very stressful in a variety of ways. First and foremost, it's subtle but clear that Jordanians do not like Jews. One tour guide asked if we were "real Americans." Anot