It is hard to believe how much has taken place over the last few weeks. Just three weeks ago Mordechai and a group of friends began renovating the caravan designated for his sister (the bride) and her fiance. We worked till the last minute making sure their first home would be one happily remembered. A week of nightly festivities known as the seven blessings followed their beautiful wedding. One of the festive meals was made here on our hilltop. Friends came from far and near, joined by some of Kfar Tapuach’s residents, to sing, eat and congratulate the newly wed couple. All of us had worked hard preparing for the B.B.Q. meal also enjoyed relaxing under the Samarian sky. Overall everyone had a good time and of course went away with full stomachs. As for the newlyweds, they had a nice welcoming to our community. Tonight we will become a hilltop of six happy families as another newly wed couple enters their new home for the first time. The groom until now lived here as a bachelor producing and selling honey.

When I look around me and see a flourishing little community, I can’t help but think that once all of Israel’s cities and towns were as small as we are today. Even so , our dream for the future of our hilltop is not to become a bustling city, but rather to prosper as a beautiful and spacious agricultural community where we are connected by body and soul to our beloved land. Not only do we hope to merit being connected to our land, we would also like to help other strengthen their roots here and elsewhere in Eretz Yisrael. Just several weeks ago an enthusiastic group of young American men paid our hilltop a visit. In addition to seeing our homes, etc. and buying out a large portion of our bee charmer’s produce, they partook in the planting of fifteen fruit trees. We hope to once again, with G-d’s help, be able to one day receive them warmly in our homes, but this time in addition to serving home made chocolate chip cookies we will offer them fresh fruit from the trees they planted.

With so much happening during these past weeks, I almost forgot that Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) is right around the corner. Within no time we will be dipping apples in honey and preparing for the Day of Atonement. May we all merit to join together finally as one, this year, in our holiest of cities - Jerusalem. Of course everyone is invited to visit us on our hilltop, only approximately an hour away.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 29th, 2002 and is filed under series.