Plans

B"H

Another Shabbat is coming up and I admit that I haven't made up too many plans so far. This morning I went to a Pirkei Avot - Shiur where a friend of mine gave a party afterwards. She had just converted to Judaism and now all the Shiur participants including the Rabbi were enjoying cake and fruit salad.

For Maariv, I will take the same friend to Karlin - Stolin. The Karliner Chassidim are becoming one of my most popular groups in Mea Shearim. I love their prayers because everyone is so full of Kavanah that he forgets everything else around him. We always hear about great emotional prayers with the highest Devekut possible. How Zaddikim cling to the upper worlds. Hence, to G - d.
Okay, you hear it and that's it. But seeing and experiencing it is something completely different. As soon as you see the devotion of the Karliner Chassidim, you just feel like joining the prayers.

Afterwards we are going to our regular Shabbat dinner and later, we will be back in Mea Shearim. It is Tish time and especially before and on Purim, all the Rebbes will be around.

Tomorrow morning, I am definitely going for Shacharit to Mea Shearim / Ge'ulah. I don't think it will be the Toldot Aharon Synagogue, as last Shabbat I hardly heard anything from the prayers going on; let alone seeing anything.
No, tomorrow it has to be something more visible.

Coming back to the terrible events at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva last week:
Last night, the Yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe neighbourhood held a memorial service for the eight terror victims. The Synagogue was packed and hundreds of people stood outside in front of the Yeshiva. Screens had been put up and I was there to participate.

The Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, gave an emotional Derasha. He was crying during his whole speech and sometimes even had to stop.
The Rabbi stressed that we should never give up hope. Am Israel has a special Kedusha and we have to keep it alive and continue studying Torah.

Shabbat Shalom to all of you !!!
Gut Shabbes !!!