What do the four holy cities, chocolate, kayaking, and the Black Canyon have to do with each other? NCSY Kollel tiyul day, of course. Today was our first awesome full tiyul day.
There were three options for everyone to choose from.
Option #1 – The Four Holy Cities
The day started out with shacharit in Chevron at Maarat Hamachpela. Rav Sobolofsky spoke about how Avraham and Kalev stood up to peer pressure and thye drew their strength from Chevron.
Overlooking the Old City of Yerushalayim and Har Habayit on the Tayelet, Rav Schachter discussed Kedushat Yerushalayim and its importance to us.
In Tevaria we had an amazing time on the beach playing football and swimming in the Kineret. We had the unique opportunity to learn about the Kineret from Rav Sobolofsky while we were in the Kineret. At the kever of Rebbe Meir Ba’al Haneis he told us of the fascinating history of our mesorah and how both the Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi are connected to Tevaria.
Option #2 – Kayaking and Chocolate Making
Kayaking down the Yarden and making your own chocolate was the second of the three tiyul options. We were able to get out of our rafts and swim in the refreshing waters of the Yarden, taking advantage of the awesome weather, for much of the journey. After drying off we went to a nearby chocolate factory and everyone got to make theirown delicious bar of chocolate.
Option #3 – The Black Canyon
For those looking for a more physically intense option, they found it at Nachal Yehudiya in the Black Canyon. The seven hour hike included jumping into pools of fresh, clean water, rappelling down cliffs, and climbing up and down rocks. It was not for the faint of heart.
Everyone Back Together in Tzefat
We all met up after our separate tiyulim in Tzefat. There we had many options for dinner at the various Tzefat eateries. In order to bring the Four Holy Cities option to a close, and to give everyone a chance to get more of an understanding of Tzefat, we split up into groups to meet some of the personalities of Tzefat. Some of us were given a review of kabalistic art and others had the opportunity to meet some special residents of the city. For those that wanted, there was a tour of the Tzefat cemetery where they learned about some of the great Jewish figures of Tzefat’s past with mini-tiyul leader extraordinaire Yosef Ginsberg.
We again came back together as a full Kollel for Maariv. Rabbi Lebowitz prepared us for this davening explaining that tonight is Rosh Chodesh Av and therefore the Nine Days begin today.
It has been a long and invigorating day. We hope to take that energy and channel towards our first regular day of NCSY Kollel 2013 tomorrow.