Only in Jerusalem

Some anecdotes of my past few weeks:

1. Shavuot. This is the holiday in which we celebrate and commemorate God's giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mt. Sinai. It's also one of three holidays (Pesach/Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot) on which Jews were obligated to visit and bring offerings to the Temple before it was destroyed. It's traditional to stay up all night studying Torah, and then between 4 and 5am, thousands of Jews pour into the Old City to go to the Kotel/Western Wall. I headed there too, but a little late--unfortunately by the time I got close to the Old City around 5:45, few people were still heading in, and some were even heading out. It was kind of impressive to see so many people at the Kotel, but not exactly the best environment to pray in (not to mention on the women's side it was impossible to be part of a prayer group or to hear the megillah read). So, I prayed the first part of morning services there, and then headed to Robinson's arch nearby where there was an egalitarian group and I could actually be part of a community.

2. I stop to ask an older, religious-looking lady on the street for directions. She doesn't know, but she asks:
"את מתחתנת? Are you getting married?"
Me: "לא. No."
"למה לא? Why not?"
"Because I haven't found anyone to marry yet."
"Do you want me to find you someone to marry?"
"No, thanks."
"How old are you, 25?"
"No, 23."
"Oh, that's ok then. You still have time." (pause) "Are you sure you don't want me to look for someone for you?"
"No, that's ok. I'll look for a husband on my own, thanks."

3. Yesterday morning, on the bus, the man across from me is holding an adorable 6-month-old baby. A woman in the aisle stops to berate him for taking a baby that age on a bus without a stroller, or something like that, I don't completely understand. He smiles, and thanks her for the advice, she moves on. Moments like this are common in Israeli society, and I never quite know what to make of them. Is it that Israelis are pushy and nosy and interfering? (Taboo personal questions in the States, such as "how much do you pay for rent?" are completely commonplace here.) Or is it just that Israelis genuinely care for each other and want to look out for one another? Probably its a bit of both.

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In other news, Pardes has ended, both of my roommates have left, and I myself leave a week from today. There've been a lot of goodbyes in the past few days. I wish I had something profound, or at least interesting, to say about the end of the year, but I don't really. Somehow it still hasn't hit me yet...though every so often I'm able to realize it a tiny bit, and "אם אשכחך" (Psalm 137:5, "If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand wither") has been going around my head a lot recently.