Friday, January 19, 2007

Shabbat Shalom!

In my opinion, everyone should go and see the Jews welcome in the sabbath at the Western Wall at least once before they die. It was a sight to behold, but because the sabbath had been ushered in, it was not a sight to take pictures of...unless you want to get in trouble with some Hasidic Jews who consider pushing the camera button working on the sabbath. Everyone has their own ideas of devotion, and I respect them for that.
After the sun went down (the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath), different groups and sects began to gather in different parts of the courtyard. They then began to dance in huge circles while singing songs to welcome in a joyous sabbath. After a while, they formed one huge square and went singing and dancing down to the Wall with their Torah Scrolls. The force of that many faithful people was impressive.
After the procession, different groups began singing different songs and dancing in circles. I got to dance in one of the circles for a few minutes with my little paper kippa. I may not have fit in 100%, but I enjoyed it all the same.

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