Shabbat Shalom!

It has been an amazing couple of days. There is nothing quite like Shabbat even during a normal week, but my first Shabbat in Israel has exceeded all expectations. We spent all of Friday preparing by resting and cleaning and putting on nice clothes. Then it was on the bus to have T'fillah at the Western Wall, the Kotel. We had a beautiful service at the egalitarian portion of the wall and were then given the opportunity to approach the Kotel at the spot most people in Israel use. At the wall, 4 boys in the program including me approached a group of men studying at yeshiva who were dancing the hora and singing as loud as the could. The welcomed us with open arms and we quickly joined their circle and began to dance. I have never felt as special or amazing as I did in the short minutes we spent dancing. As Shabbat leaves us and we celebrate Havdallah, there is a sense of something departing, as if Shabbat held a physical position in our program. Everyone is excited for the week to come, but just as excited for next Friday night and the beautiful experiences that are bound to come with it. Shabbat shalom and shavua tov!