Update, Long Overdue

It’s been a good five weeks since my last post, and I agree that’s pretty unacceptable. I got a meaty one for you, pictures included.

Enjoy!

Superbowl Monday

When I was deliberating in my decision to go to Israel, I tried hard to find excuses not to go, and one of the major sticking points was how afraid I was to miss entire seasons of the Detroit Pistons and Lions. Of course missing friends and family factored in as well, but somehow I kept returning to the sports I would be missing overseas.  I soon came to my senses, knowing that I could not plan my life around sports teams, and I am quite sure I have made the right choice on that front.  That said, as the Superbowl came rolling around, I knew I needed to watch the game.

Superbowl Monday in Jerusalem was fun. I say Superbowl Monday as the game did not start until 1:15am Israel time. Still, I was determined to watch my first football game in months, as were 7 others of us. To prep for the night I took two naps earlier in the day to stockpile sleep. We went off to Ben Yehuda Street.

I was rooting for Peyton Manning and the Colts, as opposed to the rest of the bar who had jumped on the New Orleans bandwagon. I have as much a soft spot for New Orleans as anyone else, particularly since having volunteered there last Spring, but I am a football fan first and foremost, and watching Peyton “Best QB of our Generation” Manning cement his legacy against such clowns as Reggie Bush and Jeremy Shockey took precedent.

The early going was very animated. I cheered on the Colts impressive first quarter, and ate some crow as the Saints took over from there. As the night moved forward, though, the night became more of an endurance test to stay awake than anything else. Cheers muffled. Guys snook naps during commercials (which were not the hype-up American commercials), and then during stretches of the game; the waitresses would make their rounds less and less frequently; outside, Ben Yehuda Street was growing quieter and more sparse. My resolve was strong, and I watched as the game drew near to a close.

Matt Robins Sneaking One In

Four Good Looking Guys

The final minutes of the game counted down. Manning interception. Last second drives. Fourth and goal, and incomplete pass. The final seconds count down and I wish to see post game celebrations, but as soon as they could, the bar turned all the lights on, the TVs off, and ushered their annoying football fans out as soon as they could. Exhausted, we make our way back to Har Nof to sneak a couple of hours of sleep before Shacharis.

Shesh Besh with Shoshi

Rikki, the Machon Shlomo cook who doubles as our collective Kurdish Grandmother, frequently has her grandchildren hanging around the kitchen area. Most of these children are toddlers, with 2 year old Leetal being a particularly cute visitor. Some of the guys (Andrew, Danny Solganik) are naturals with little children and have developed their own ways to communicate/play/bond. I usually give big waves and give an exaggerated smile, but alas I do not connect with Leetal (or the other little ones) with quite the same success. Shoshi, however, is a different story.

Shoshi!

Shoshi is Rikki’s 7-year old granddaughter. Initially our interactions were limited to me shouting “Shoshi!” and Shoshi hiding behind Rikki, but Shoshi soon figured out that I draw pretty decent portraits, and she soon became my model. This past week I took to teaching Shoshi some Shesh Besh.

A quick aside on Shesh Besh (backgammon). Shesh Besh is rampant at Machon Shlomo. We have two Shesh sets, and every night there will be some heavy competition. I routinely play a good 5 or 6 games a night, which severely restricts my nighttime Gemara learning (sorry to disappoint). I’m not going to lie: I am probably the best player in the entire yeshiva. I dominate the Shesh Besh.

Two of My Victims

I figured it would be fun to teach Shoshi some Shesh Besh, but I underestimated just how hard it would be to explain basic concepts of the game without knowing the Hebrew for “You move Counterclockwise, and I move Clockwise,” or “Double your Pieces up so that I can’t Jump it” or “Doubles means you actually quadruple the Dice.” Instead, my Hebrew is limited to counting from 1-6 and saying “Zeh Poe” (“this here”). Yet by augmenting this Hebrew with a series of hand motions and frequent nodding and shaking of my head, we got the fundamentals down. Shoshi is a bright girl and caught on pretty quickly.

Shoshi won the first game that we completed.

A Mazel Tov and a Farewell

This past Monday we lost a good one. We bid Gary adieu and sent him off in the taxi to the airport. He flew back to Miami, and will be getting married the first week of March.

The past week was filled with Gary-related events. Last Shabbat Gary had a special Kiddush following Saturday morning Shacharis. Tuesday Rikki made a special Steak and (Kosher) Sausage lunch. Thursday night eight of us (including Gary) took a long night-hike to our campsite, struck up the bonfire, barbecued some big time dinner, and pulled out some L’Chaims. This past Saturday was an In-Yeshiva Shabbat, with a homemade Cholent prepared by none other than Gary (and Dan Manasha).

Its sad to see Gary go, but how fantastic it is for him to start the next phase of his life, to start building a home his own. Its funny how much thoughts of marriage and families sparks up in yeshiva, and its not just from studying Kedushin for months at a time. There is something exciting about seeing second year guys sneaking out in suit-and-ties, discreetly making their way to their dates. You see young couples, and young children everywhere, and you see that it is a beautiful life.

I gave Gary a toast during his last Shabbat. I was not as close with him as others at the Yeshiva, and I wasn’t present during many of his moments of great personal growth, but I told him flat out how much I admired him and how excited I was for him. He gave me a big hug and said he would give me a brucha on his wedding day that I would follow in his footsteps in due time.

So best of luck Gary, and enjoy your last group shots at Machon Shlomo.

Group Huddle

Group w/ Gary

Advertisement

~ by ericrosenbloom on 19/02/2010.