Kodak moments

Apologizes for the lack of pictures, my camera was stolen when I was traveling through Seville, Spain (long story that ended with me bathing in the a Starbucks bathroom sink) but anyways, I have compiled some pictures from the women on my program..

Waterfall in Ein Gedi. Look at the sopping lush moss.

An ancient mikvah (ceremonial bathhouse) from the time of the Second Temple. You enter the mikvah on one side, demonstrated by girl in gray sweatshirt, and emerge clean in order to enter the temple to give a sacrifice during the three annual festivals.

A Shabbos spent in Ramat Beit Shemesh with Rebbetzin Chinn. She taught me the hebrew alphabet when I was 9 years old and B''H we were reunited in Israel.

The Henna of my Yeminite girlfriend who is getting married in two weeks. Mazel Tov Zipporah! First you put the Henna in the flowered carrier, parade around singing arabic festival songs and waiving candles (definitely a major fire hazzard) to honor the bride.
then......

You dance for hours to the drumming of some incredibly talented and holy Yemenite Women, breaking only to eat traditional Yemenite delicacies baked specially for the occasion.

Finally once the wax from the candles melt into the henna, everyone takes turns painting it onto the bride-to-be.

The story behind the tradition of the Henna is that the plant is used as a metaphor for the relationship between bride to her groom. In the olden days, henna was grown as a hedgerow around vineyards to hold soil against wind erosion. A henna hedge, with its dense thorny branches, protected vulnerable and valuable crops such as grape vineyards from animals. The hedge also had clusters of fragrant flowers. Henna is symbolic of a "beloved", who defends, shelters, and delights her lover. How romantic.

Even though I am not of the Sephardi tradition, I think a tribal drum circle and henna painting is the most appropriate of ways to celebrate a wedding, so I think I'll have one one day too....lamma lo (why not?)