All’s well that ends well and it did!

But first, did you know that if you don’t speak for three days, your voice sounds like you have laryngitis?

Anyway, backing up to the bus ride on Monday from Jerusalem to Safed,  I met Aimee, a former Texan who moved her daughters to Israel about ten years ago. Daughter Rachel lives in Safed with her husband and four children and Aimee invited me to Rachel’s Saturday dinner. This dinner was going to be the highlight of my week even if it only meant something to eat besides hummus and bread.

But it was so much more than that. Each of ten young women made me feel so welcome and were eager for me understand that Safed is a warm and caring community  — and one of intense gravity during Rosh Hashanah.  With passion and joy, they shared stories of their lives and religious traditions. They sang songs and danced in honor of one who is a bride to be, and read from the Torah to ease the transition from Shabbat to the new week.

And then to make matters even better, this morning, my hostess, Sheva Chaya, demonstrated her glass blowing skills and told me stories of how her art interprets her faith. Thank you Aimee and young women of Safed and Sheva Chaya for making me happy. This is why I came to Safed!

Next stop: Akko on Israel’s northern coast.