Sukkot day 1

Monday morning we had a quick session about the holiday of sukkot, it's importance, laws about it, traditions we do on it, etc.  Then we all walked to a special shuk called shuk arbat ha minim to buy our very own lulav and etrog.  It was quite an experience.  There must have been about 50 different tables with lulavim, etrogim, hadas, and arava.  I walked around and looked at all of the choices, and finally picked out what I wanted to buy.  I ended up getting my lulav, etrog, and carrying case for 60 shekles total, which was a pretty good deal and a lot cheaper than in America.

After we got back from the shuk, we had to rush to the bus station to get to Tel Aviv in time for chag.  I went to visit Tamir Goodman, a famous basketball player who I know from camp because he runs a basketball program there.  He actually lives in a neighborhood about half an hour outside of Tel Aviv called Zichron Ya'akov.  A bunch of other people from Nativ were also visiting people in that neighborhood, so we all travelled together.  We had to rush to the bus in Jerusalem, and then when we got to Tel Aviv we had to run to the train because it was the last train before chag started!  Luckily we made it and everything worked out perfectly.

Tamir picked us up at the train station with his two kids in the car, they are 4 and 1 (so cute!!), and then we went back to his beautiful house where his wife was.  We went to shul for mincha and then came back and had a big, delicious dinner in the sukkah.  Everyone was tired so we went to bed early, and woke up in time for shacharit this morning.  He goes to chabad shul, so I had to sit behind a mechitza and I didn't really get to bench lulav, but I will tomorrow with Nativ.  After services, another family came back to the Goodmans for lunch in the sukkah (another big, amazing meal), and then we all took long naps that lasted until the chag ended.  We made the first train after chag because we wanted to be back early in order to go to bed early because we have to wake up at 4:30 am tomorrow for a 3 day desert survival hiking trip!  I'm very, very excited.  It should be a lot of fun.

I won't be able to update again until after I get back in 3 days, so in the meantime, chag sameach and have a wonderful sukkot!!

-Sarah