Just a Taste!

Turned off of blogging a bit by the JIBs. Renergized a bit by MCAryeh's kind nod, which sowed such good vibes back into the this little corner of the blogweb. Thank you.

Was thinking to myself today that it can be such a different experience to be a traveler in a place than to live in a place. I want to be able to write about Jerusalem the way I can sometimes write about a place I pass through, but my relationship to Jerusalem is so much different. In some ways it's so near that I often can't see it. Oftentimes I'm moving so fast I move through it but not in it.

When I daven for Jerusalem I see Jerusalem stone, that rose'd white limestone, building.

Oh! How can I ever do Jerusalem justice? Here I am in her presence these seven years and I don't know her at all! I'm crying. I've ignored her all of this time!

Today walking into the market and it's in pre-Shabbos energy with what the people after work not quite pushing but moving amongst and against each other and a pair of children carrying plastic bags to capacity filled with the best food for Shabbos. People I've known and seen and will know and there are some people who, being here, are not just in Jerusalem, not just in the market, but become Jerusalem, become the market. I feel my way along the alleys, having prayed already, not needing to buy all that much but wanting to walk slowly and to be here, wanting to pray the market. It's changing, becoming just a touch gentrified; vegtables and spices and pita, now clothing and Indian food. On another axis is Uzi the juice man who I pop into having not spoken to in months and present myself a bit to shake his hand and ask him what I should drink and he comes around to serve me a small cup (for just 5 shekel) and tells me it's as good as dinner and I take a little sip and it's a wonder of hot cider clove date sweet sharpness with something that I discover later is mildly psychoactive (and am only now coming off of.) To the natural bakery and an old landlord is there. We discuss the merits of whole wheat and spelt in chocolate chip cookies and I pick up a few and some sprouted wheat bread and a couple sambusaks to turn into dinner. Then the health food store and a few bottles of the Golan apple juice for Shabbos where you can taste the different apples as the seasons turn; the man in the health food store is very much part of the shuk. Rolling along and on the phone figuring out where o' where can we pray together this Friday night. Trying to start a holy fire in all of our hearts to pray in Jerusalem, pray as Jerusalem.

Oh!

Would that I could give you just a taste!