For the past few weeks the weather here has been great. Considering that I was born and raised in Florida, one would probably suppose that ‘great weather’ means Miami Beach style ‘fun in the sun’. Actually it’s been raining almost non-stop except for a few days this past week in which the sun took over and warmed the earth. When living in Israel, one learns to appreciate every raindrop and thank G-D for it. While the weather permitted, work was done on the road leading up to our hilltop. Although the road still hasn’t been paved with asphalt, the improvement is tremendous. A regular car can survive the trip up and down without getting stuck deep in the mud, or even worse, drowning in the huge puddles which formed over time. Before the road was repaired, just two weeks ago I had to cancel a doctor’s appointment, since there was no way for me to get off our hilltop, without trekking down in the mud.

Although we had a pretty good time watching (noses pressed to the window) the rain streaming down from above, all the while thanking G-D for His graciousness, we had a great time when the sun finally made its grand appearance. On these sunny days, in addition to playing outside on our porch with her two little friends, Chana enjoyed running along the path, and of course into every mud puddle she could find. We also had to visit the chickens on a regular basis, which meant veering off the path and into the mud. This I dreaded doing but agreed to do almost every time.

Just a couple of days ago Mordechai, Chana and I drove to Gush Katif to take care of some business, visit friends and buy ducks from the petting zoo in Neve Dekalim (Gush Katif’s largest community). We will hopefully be building a fenced in pond and shelter for them this coming week. This will enable Chana to see her precious ducks right through the window, rain or shine. I hope that the ducks will be a successful start for the petting zoo that I would like to establish right here in my front yard. As for Chana who literally shares her own food (to my dismay) with the ducks, I am sure that she will benefit greatly from our new friends.

All the while we are beautifying our home and land, I am forced to stop and remember that Joseph’s Tomb, one of the most sacred Jewish sites in the area still stands desolate. The Yeshiva established on its grounds remains almost completely destroyed. While the politicians declare their loyalty to the land and compete for the title of ‘most Zionistic’, they for fear of losing their seats, withhold Jewish entry to the tomb. Many of the Jewish community see this as an act of racism and betrayal. Many of the residents of Samaria, with help from others all over the country, have been working fervently to keep Joseph remembered among his children. Every week a group of women meet at a checkpoint not far from Joseph’s tomb to pray and recite psalms. A larger group meets once a month at the checkpoint for a massive prayer service which is usually followed by some sort of activity. As soon as I heard about these dedicated women I immediately felt relieved. Even if their efforts didn’t move the politicians emotionally or physically to redeem our ancestor Joseph, for sure at least they are recognized and appreciated in the heavens above. I plan on joining them and making an effort to include the women on my hilltop as well as residents of the neighboring community, Tapuach, in the campaign to save Joseph’s Tomb.

Now it is Friday afternoon and since we are going to spend Shabbat with Mordechai’s family, I am released from the always very stressful task of cooking (which generally takes all day). As fun and relaxing as it is to have a day off, I will miss not being on the hill for Shabbat. We almost always have several unexpected guests and then of course there are the ‘regulars’ (mostly single guys who live on our hilltop) who invite themselves for a meal or two. Since our hilltop is comprised of young couples, who travel to family and friends more frequently than a large family would, it is quite rare to have all of us present on the same Shabbat. So, whoever is around merits to fulfill the ancient ‘mitzva’ of welcoming guests into their home. Next week, with help from the Almighty, it will be our turn again to open our home to friends. Till then, I am thoroughly enjoying this very rare, hassle- free, Friday.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 10th, 2003 and is filed under series.