Orientation, BFL, Lech Lecha

Lech Lecha:

The other day I was walking to the post office the other day (either the day it was closed because it was the middle of the day and then the skies opened up and started pouring on my head, soaking me to the skin or the day that I was able to mail my letters, but could not purchase more stamps because they ran out of stamps at the post office. Yes, the post offices in Israel can run out stamps. They do not have postage ATMs in this country and it is impossible to buy stamps outside of a post office.)

On the way to the post office, I was thinking about Parshat Noach, the tower of Babel, and then I started thinking about the path I was walking.

I thought about the path of Abraham, about Gd commanding him to lekh lekha.
I wondered how I would feel if Gd gave me such a command. I wondered how I would feel if Gd gave me any command. How would I know if it was Gd commanding? How did Abraham (Avram, at the time), know that it was Gd commanding?

It seems to me that one way of knowing if we are on Gd's path is to look at the signs. If the signs seem to imply that you are making positive change for the world, it is probably Gd's path.

That's all the Torah for now.


Orientation:

• invited to make aliyah to Modiin by the very kind retiring mayor, who offered his number to help make the process easier
• invited to make aliyah to Kibbutz Hanaton (sp?), the Masorti kibbutz, which will Gdwilling be growing by quite a few families soon
• dug Israel--although didn't get a shirt--found lots of ancient clay fragments, including the bottom of a couple pots or lamps
• slightly jealous of the other group, which dug through a floor and found lots of cool things I can't describe here, since I don't want to mess up any Israeli archaeology Phd candidates

BFL:

• met lots of excited and interesting people
• visited Mt. Herzl and Begin Center
• both are amazing museums, which are multi-media, multi-sensory, multi-intelligence supporting
• had lots of interesting discussions and lectures on how to improve leadership
• had a very nice Shabbat with old and new friends
• went to 2 Shabbat Friday night services and 1 Shabbat morning services, where I attempted to listen to an incredibly long Hebrew dvar Torah about the different names of Gd in the story of Noah and how they are reflected in the Zohar. If I understood it, I think I would have been a lot more interesting, since I would really like to know how modern Orthodox Sephardim understand the different names of Gd, assuming they don't believe in biblical criticism.
  
• hope for a Shabbat nap next week