FAIRWELL TO HANUKKAH IN JERUSALEM

We loved Hanukkah in Jerusalem . I recommend everyone to try it at least once in your lifetime.

Especially in the old city Jewish quarter  it was particularity festive.  It  really is a new experience for us to walk around and everyone is  so joyous for the same occasion . There is a special kind of unifying  joyful spirit that just wraps everyone up.   I guess the closest a Canadian city could come to this is if the leafs won the Stanley cup! but I know it would be much noisier and more drunk! 

LOL....... oh well  one can  dream!  

Anyways Hanukkah was a lot of fun I especially got along quite well with all the bakeries and this wonderful thing call a SOUFGANIYOT . The closest thing we have to this in Canada is a jelly or cream filled doughnuts , but here in Jerusalem  its like the sugar fairy was on steroids when she came up with this one. 

Notice the one Zoe is holding , it has a tube full of an extra shot of chocolate sauce to squeeze in to the doughnuts   right before you eat it!

ok so I bought one of everything, but i did share!

who is with me on a campaign to bring this to Kenora!

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In case you didn't know, Hanukkah is not about doughnuts, its about re dedication  unto God what is His and about God providing a  light that shines in the darkness. 

 This is why there are lights all over town one lit for each of the eight nights of the festival.  It celebrates a time after  the temple in Jerusalem was defiled and the Menorah light (pictured below) was extinguished , Gods people won a great victory and restored the alter and re lite the lamp.

this one is in the moat outside the temple mount in the archaeological park.

this one is just outside of Jaffa Gate

this one was fun to watch them lite with a live flame, of course I had some questions about my understanding  the order of the lighting and was able to talk with the rabbi after for some clarification.

this was some festive dancing acrobatics .

you can learn more about Hanukkah at this web site here http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Hanukkah.htm

this is one of our favourite groups check out one of there Hanukkah songs   http://youtu.be/QfieP6H47lc

for one Christan's perspective  on the festival you can listen to this 

http://youtu.be/tMvBlsgfJOM

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as wonderful as these 8 days were they also were filled with a sense of sadness for us. we knew were would be leaving on the last day and it was pretty emotional for us. every where we went our senses were on overdrive to feel, see, smell, taste  and remember every detail. we ate more , hugged more and longer, smiled and  cried more. Of course I had to have a few  get togethers with the precious friends we were leaving . Here is one at the Armenian Tavern in the old city.

later on that night

we finally got the nerve to ask for a photo with the IDF boys.

here we are on one of our last nights trying to cheer each other up , I am tickling Zoe.

our last day we are visiting the Anglican grave yard  on Emek Rafiem. a few weeks earlier  I discovered it by "accident" and to my surprise  I  knew (of) this person buried here. Derek Prince.

this is an amazing place to visit if you ever get a chance to drop in, say hi to my friend Meir  the grounds keeper , a Jewish believer who loves to tell people about Yeshua, and all the people buried on the grounds.

here we are on our last visit to the old city. we are sitting in Jaffa gate.

 of course we are going to make this memorable.

so Zoe isn't this fun ?

YES but, oh no we are leaving in a couple of hours!

 

we just wanted to cry!    


It was so hard to leave the old city.    I am sure  it was so embarrassing for Zoe  when she kept having to peel me off the old city  walls and pillars I kept hugging .

this was my last look at the kotel, the wall!

do yo remember  when I started to blog I mentioned the wall? 

 This is a direct quote:
 "Oddly enough though, were my feelings at  the Wall.  We went our first day and yes it was amazing to see but I was strangely disconnected from any great emotion spiritual or otherwise."

well I cant even look at this picture now with out shedding  tears. the wall is still the same l but the girl looking at it is inexplicably changed forever. How does this happen? how can 90 days  , in a foreign culture ,climate, city, so affect me even now  while sitting in my own home? well I guess I still need some time to process those thoughts and will have to save them for the next blog.

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this is us with all our belongings heading back home to Canada. we had absolutely no hicups on the way back , well if we exclude the 1.45 hours with  Canadian customs when we landed in Winnipeg.  
(that's a whole other story). 

remember the 3 little Kedishman  lambs I bought in September ? well here they are with their human counterparts.  don't they look good?

I have to say the house was in pretty good order when we got back and my husband even surprised me with new base boards!  I must give a big shout out to all our friends , neighbours and family who helped keep all my boys (and dogs)  on the straight and narrow and  from starving 

MUCH APPRECIATED  !   

I think I will blog again with my overall thoughts about this trip. I still will need some time to process , it was hard doing this one with out tears, and  I cant keep getting my keyboard wet! 

In the mean time  we want to wish all our  blog followers well, and suggest that you hug your loved ones  a little tighter and a little longer , look into someones eyes and tell them that they are loved.

 May the LORD  bless you and guard you -

יְבָרֶכְךָ יהוה, וְיִשְׁמְרֶךָ

("Yebhārēkh-khā Adhōnāy weyishmerēkhā ...)

May the LORD make His face shed light upon you and be gracious unto you -

יָאֵר יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וִיחֻנֶּךָּ

("Yāʾēr Adhōnāy pānāw ēlekhā wiḥunnékkā ...)

May the LORD lift up His face unto you and give you peace -

יִשָּׂא יהוה פָּנָיו אֵלֶיךָ, וְיָשֵׂם לְךָ שָׁלוֹם

("Yissā Adhōnāy pānāw ēlekhā wiyāsēm lekhā shālōm.")

UNTIL NEXT TIME SHALOM