Home and my Drash

Hey there. Quite a bit has happened since I last posted. Firstly i went home back to the UK for a short brake it was really nice to see family and friends and little Aaron who has grown so much. The only real problem was that it was too short atime to spend there before I had to come back to Israel (although Jlem really does feel like home now-I guess I am luck to have two place that feel that way) anyhow school has restarted and I am busy again. I still have modern Hebrew which I think may actually be getting a little easier, I also stil have grammar, and liturgy. The new subjects are Rabbinic texts and and Late Antiquity both of which I think will be really interesting.
I have given my first sermon (or Drash) i was more nervous than I was expecting altough I think it went quite well. Apart from that not that much has been happening.

More exams and back home.

Hi its been ages and ages since I last posted sorry about that. So long in fact that I have taken all my end of term exams. I think that they went well with the exception of Modern Hebrew, which didn't go great but was not as awful as it might have been. But I shall have to wait until I get the results back to know for sure. So far the only exam that i have had back was Second Temple Period History. I got 95%. So I am quite happy.
At the moment I am back home in the UK although only for a few days. I am still working on Modern Hebrew although at the present my main priorities are my up coming drash and writing the booklet on Fast for NIffty. Any how its good to be home however briefly and to have gotten though the whole first semester. Yeah only nine left to go. :)

No voice and exams

Hey well in the end I was with out voice completly for ten days and had hardly any for more. I can now speek again although making a lot of noice is still someway off. I am in the middle (well near the end now) of mid-terms and frankly feel completly examed out.

I still have Biblical History to do, Hebrew seems to be a continus flow of examinations. I haven't had any back yet so really really don't know how they have gone. I also have a number of essays (and sigh) reflections to write but that must all wait until motizi Shobbos.

Friday night service

Well I have now led my Friday night service along with Nancy my Cantor, she was amazing and i think that the service was really beautiful (more her than me really). I ended with a priestly blessing which is something that I have missed since getting here (other people have also missed it). And with Nancy's help I introduced some British Reform tunes.

But on Saturday and even more so on Sunday i had no voice at all. Now quite late on Sunday night (I am about to go to bed ahead off another school day) I cannot even wishper. Sigh I feel fine thought so its not that bad.

News

Again I have left it ages without posting and a lot has happened and time is short. We had our Northern Tiyal up to the Galil to the Kenarit (Thats lake Tiberus to those not in the know). We went to Kiryat Shamona, and Tel Hei (both the momument and college). Right up to the boarder with Lebanon to a Moshav, and my group went way up into the Golan to very near the boarder with Syria. We also went on a 'night safari' where we saw owls, and Israeli swomp cats (and no thats not a joke), large birds and smallier birds.
We also got one, rather short chance to swim in the Keneret. Of course we went to Tel Dan and saw the archelogical reamains there, which I have to say are really very impressive also Tel is very beautiful. However it was so hot especial given where we were and how late in the year it is.
By the time I got back I was feeling pretty horried and flet rubbish on Friday but did all the useal Friday things but basically took things easy...on Saturaday I headed off to the Conservative Synagogue on Argon Street. I really enjoyed the service and the sermon it was great. Afterwar i went for lunch with a couple of other HUC stendents...We had Sunday off but by then I felt dreadful really really ill. So I headed off to the health centre, with the help of the amazing and wonderful Emily and they took one look at me and put me on a drip. So i felt much better but not great. I went in the next day but didn't go on our next Tiyal. At the moment I am getting ready for my service tomorrow.

TW3

Hey boy am I glad that this week is over, it was not a fun one. Started with getting my Hebrew exam result (On my birthday) and it was the worst mark I have ever recieved in any subject for any exam at any level ever! So that was a fabtastic start to the day. Then I had the its my birthday but I am miles away from home, thing going on. I am also finding October to be a stressful month, I knew that it was going to be, because of various things al happening at once but it doesn't help to know. We have also had two tiyilim this week: One was a walking trip around a distict of Jlem called Rahava, up near George the 5th street. And the next day as part of Biblical History to Tel Aviv to Tel Gerzer and a musem. So I am very tired indeed. I had a nice quite party for my birthday as befits a 32 year old but it was fun and a bright spot in an otherwise pretty horrid week. I am going to do some cleaning and Hebrew homework (now there is a surprise) before heading over to Laura's for shabbat. Hopefully next week will be a bit better. fingers crossed. BTW TW3=that was the week that was.

Started well.

Hey today started well but went down hill fast. :( woke up early enough to get a bit of extra study done and some work and then headed into school. On the way I met a friend who I knew worked for part of the year in JLem so that was nice, and the morning service at HUC was great it was led in a style i like and the drash was great...and I wasn't even that concerned about the exam i had coming up, I had revisied hard for it and new most if not all of the new vocabuary I need for it. Then I sat the exam, and let us say that I don't think it went well. Although I am hoping it wasn't quite as castrophic as i fear it may have been. It was the kind of exam where you want to get up in the middle and scroow your exam paper into a ball and though it into the bin on the way out, and then keep going to the air-port and then away from here to alomst anywhere. (I am not feeling quite that down right now but still very very grummpy.

Then I had a class on second temple history i dont think that i took all that much in because i was still a little hept up after exam. Then we had a Biblical History Tiylal to the Israel musem...which would have been good if I had not been so very very tired.
We had a Tiyal yesterday as well. As part of Israel Seminar to Tel Aviv, which was interesting. We went to the cemitary which I liked because i always enjoy them and Tel Aviv Old Cemitary is an especially good one. I also liked Bialik's house and the walking tour and it was so so nice to get to the beach even if only for a few minutes and to be able to dip ones toes into the sea. lovely.