Shalom Temple Sinai,

I apologize I have not written more.  Settling down has taken a while, but I think I've finally managed to get a grasp on life in Eretz Yisrael.

A lot has happened in the past month. My school put on a tiyul (trip) to the Arava in the Negev (30 minutes north of Eilat).  We spent 3 days at Kibbutz Ketura where we had daily hikes and excursions to Eilat and historic sites.  If you were keeping up with the news in Israel, the Negev (which almost never gets rain) got the most rain in the last 20 years causing massive flash floods, the likes of which I had never seen before.  Imagine the Braes Bayou rushing with water collected from all the mountains of the Negev.  I look many pictures and video and have attached a few for everyone to see.  For those that ever have or do say the Birkat HaMazon on Shabbat, there is a line about the waters rushing in the Negev (b'negev).  I will never be able overlook these words again after this unbelievable experience.

We've now completed 3 weeks of learning at Pardes, and the classes are fantastic.  In the mornings we alternate between Talmud/Mishnah and Humash while in the afternoons we have elective classes.  I chose for my various electives Halakha (we're currently learning about the laws of Kashrut), Parshat Hashavua (studying the weekly Torah portions through various midrashim), Relationships (looking at the relationship we have with G-d, our families, our community, etc), and finally a Jewish spiritual meditation class.  I'm really enjoying all the classes, especially Talmud and Mishnah as it's right in line with law school thinking!

Last Shabbat I went with 3 other friends to visit the Jewish Guru, real name Gil Locks.  He lives in the Old City and is very religious.  (Here's his bio: http://www.jewish-holiday.com/gurujew.html).  We had two options when we went to his place, we could either have idle small talk all night or only discuss holy subjects.  Obviously we came to his table to hear stories and discuss Judaism so we chose the later.  He was VERY intense, but I did find him extremely interesting and his challenges to exploring Judaism valid.  Very much like a Socratic method teacher, he challenged all four of us to not just practice Judaism but to know everything about which we practice.  How often do we perform a religious practice and have no idea why we do it?  I don't believe it makes us bad Jews, because it happens to us all all the time, but I agree that if we don't understand the meaning of a practice we don't get much out of it spiritually, if at all.

So just as Gil Locks, The Guru Jew, challenged my friends and I, I'd like to challenge each of you to ask why we do something in Judaism if you do not know.  Our Rabbis say "One who does not ask questions is ashamed to learn."  We only learn by asking, and by asking we grow.

L'hitraot,
Steve Simon