My first service!

Hi everyone!

This past week, I led my first HUC service.  It was such an incredible experience!!  I have been preparing for this for weeks, and my friend Lenette (another rabbinical student) and I have been working hard trying to create meaningful prayer experience for our classmates.  I was SO nervous before the service, I actually was shaking a little bit as we started the opening song.  But, as we continued through the service, I began to relax.  My classmates were unbelievably supportive, and looking out at their smiling faces as Lenette and I went through the prayers of Thursday morning services, I felt so warm and happy to be part of such an amazing community.  It was wonderful to feel supported in such a tangible way, and I really couldn't have done it without everyone.  My classmate Jeremy played the guitar for a few songs, which was also fantastic! People came up to me afterwards and told me how much they enjoyed it, and it meant so much to me.  It reminded me why I wanted to come to rabbinical school in the first place.  One of my classmates told me that he entered the synagogue feeling a little down, and by the end of the service he felt refreshed and so much better.  I was SO happy I could provide that for someone, and it made me feel great!  I am leading again in a few weeks and I can't wait! 

Things have been crazy busy here with midterms and lots of work, but I am still enjoying everything so much.  Israel is a crazy country and I love living here!  My parents and sister were just visiting, which was wonderful.  We went to Yad Vashem, the Israel Museum, spent time with my family in Ra'anana, and i was able to introduce them to many of my classmates.  I loved being able to show them my life here.  We also went to visit my cousin Ariel at his army base in Beer Sheva, which was incredible.  Seeing my little cousin wearing a uniform and holding a gun was a little overwhelming, but it was great to see him and he seems to be enjoying his army service.  He's in the air force and hopes to be a pilot one day! 

A new post will be up soon but I just wanted to give a short update now since its been so long since my last post.

xoxox
Rebecca