By Shira Botzum
Our weekend in Tzfat was filled with emotions both high and low and a multitude of thought-provoking new experiences. Some parts were incredibly meaningful; others, incredibly challenging. We attempted to explore what spirituality and holiness mean and how they are accessed within a limited but still diverse range of the Jewish community. This included some work-intensive and thought-provoking activities, such as making our own tefillin and hearing from a range of speakers on some fairly intense topics. It also, however, included some highly entertaining and relaxing activities, such as our concert with the hassidic band Simply Tzfat.
We had been on a bus for over four hours and worked hard on our tefillin for another three—eyelids were drooping and everyone was looking forward to getting to their new beds. We were then led to a small room where we packed in tight; sitting on chairs, steps, whatever space was available. A familiar melody began emanating from a guitar at the front of the room and slowly, the atmosphere shifted. As the musicians of Simply Tzfat started playing through a set list of traditional Shabbat songs, our group woke up from our drowsiness and started singing along. People were humming, putting their arms around each other, some standing on chairs—the energy in the air was infectious. Eventually, a few brave souls got up and started dancing, quickly pulling the rest of us in to join. We spent a fun and lively hour filling the room with our energy and getting in the Shabbos spirit. The evening was a lovely end to a long week and a beautiful start to our weekend together in Tzfat.
