Shabbat morning. This is my third Shabbat here in Israel. I've been b'aretz a two full weeks now and after five blissful days in Ein Kerem, I've settled into myself. Ein Kerem, the loveliest of settings, peaceful, calm, rustic, rich in fruit growing on vines, dangling from trees, stone houses respecting the curves of rolling hillsides.

Yesterday I had a phone conversation with a director of one of the learning programs I'm interested in checking out for September. And this is what I came away with....

At this point, my lesson plan lays before me. What there is for me to do is sit. And study. And sit. And then sit some more. That's basically it. If I can do it amongst like-minded seekers that would be yummy.  In the meantime I will enroll in Melton Core curriculum for when I return to the states. Community of learners is a joy. And I have my personal journey. That one, with the help of God, is my self-study. I think I can do this at home or in Jerusalem. It's my curriculum. But as it says in the Matot passage, I will aided deeply being in Jerusalem. Well, time will tell...

As the high holidays approach, and I review my past year, I see it has been one of picking seeds, planting, and some pruning. And I continue...