There is a tradition that when second Jewish Temple was destroyed, the Shechina (divine presence, also referred to as the feminine aspect of the Divine), retreated to Tzfat, and is waiting to be redeemed there. When women connect with each other in this city in the context of Torah and Mitzvot, it awakens the Shechina, thus accelerating Messianic process of rectifying the world.

There is a detectable feminine aspect to Tzfat, with its landscape of soft contours of hills extending as far as one can see, reminiscent of the waves of the ocean, the curving streets, circling the mountain on which the city is built. Another feminine aspect of Tzfat is its hiddenness. Often an unremarkable looking door opens to the beautiful arched room or an exotic garden. Women complete the picture of this city, many of them dressed in flowing dresses and colorful scarfs, so fitting in Tzfat. The young religious women’s aspiration is to have a large family, and there are many young women with numerous kids. We enjoy seeing them and living in a place where life is of a highest value. 

There is a large community of “Anglo” women: English speakers from US, Europe, Canada, South Africa. Many of these women regularly get together to learn Torah in “Bas Medrash” – (basmedrash.org). There are different classes and modes of learning: classes by excellent teachers, learning together original Hebrew texts in smaller groups, discussion sessions etc. The learning always begins with a different woman giving a talk on the subject of her choice, and it is never only intellectual, but sharing something very important to each one, and often the speaker is so moved, that she starts crying, and the listeners respond in kind, and the tissues are passed around. Of course there is also a lot of laughter, and during text learning – sometimes there are loud arguments about meaning of texts, as in any normal yeshiva with interested and involved students. Everybody is passionate about Torah learning, and it is always a moving and rich experience. In addition to learning there is an excellent breakfast, prepared by volunteers who come early to prepare food and set the tables.

Rosh Chodesh is celebrated with women singing together, led by talented musicians among us. There is an atmosphere of sharing and mutual support that extends beyond the place of learning, and is valuable in times of joy as well as sadness. Recently there was a funeral in Tzfat of the husband of one of the women in a group. This is a family that has been spending  a part of the year in Tzfat, and part in the US due to the husband’s work. The day of the funeral was a harshest storm of the season, but most of the women from the Bas Medrash group came to participate and share. And of course many happy occasions are celebrated together as well.

Recently there was an event that brought together women of Tzfat and its surrounding communities even in larger numbers: “Kululan” organized by Tzfat municipality. The event has been modeled after a successful Israeli initiative of several years ago called “Kululam” , which is a combination of Hebrew words for kulam (everyone), kol (voice) and olam (world.) The purpose is to bring together people without prior singing experience, divide them into 2 or 3 voices, and teach them a new song with harmonies, producing at the end a complete and harmonious musical creation. 

The difference of a Tzfat event was that it was women-only, and it brought together close to 800 hundred Jewish girls and women of all ages, religious and not religious. The song we learned was “Matzil Oti Kol Yom” – by Ishai Ribo  – a song about expectation of an approaching redemption and the coming of Mashiach, which at the end of the event was sung together joyfully and in harmony by hundreds of women voices, awakening Shechina, and affirming hope of a better world.

Tzfat is one of four Holy cities of the Land of Israel, besides Jerusalem, Hebron, and Tiberias. Each of these cities is associated in Jewish tradition with the four essential  elements of nature, of which Tzfat is a City of Air. (Other three cities represent, respectively,  Fire, Earth, Water)

Being a mountain city, the air is pure, and the light has a magical quality. The height of the mountain and the purity of light allows to see far away. It has been also called a city of “Vision”, and, not accidentally, from Talmudic times, it has been known as the location of growing the most  beautiful Hadassim (myrtle) – one of the 4 species used on Sukkot Holiday, that has leaves resembling shape of the eyes, and representing vision.

Besides the ability to clearly see surrounding areas, the air of Tzfat is also conducive to the clarity of perception, and it attracted from medieval times great Torah sages, and  became an important center of Torah learning. 

The first printing press in the Land of Israel was set up in 16th century in Tzfat,  and Torah works started to be printed and propagated from here.  The local library of the Breslov Synagogue still has those first editions of books on Jewish Law and Kabbalah. 

Rabbi Joseph Karo completed, in 16th century in Tzfat, his 20-year long work of unifying previously existing Torah codes and commentaries, and creating the Shulhan Aruch – a most influential book of Halacha (The Jewish Law) in the world today. His contemporary Rabbi Moshe Cordovero evaluated and systematized  all previously existing work on Kabbalah, creating several masterpiece works. He also emphasized importance of Kavannah – inner vision of deep meditative concentration. Here in Tzfat the saintly Rabbi Luria (Arizal) taught his students the mysteries of the Zohar, and his teachings were written down by his major disciple, Chaim Vital. 

Arizal’s understanding of Kabbalah and his clarity of vision were beyond normal human abilities. He understood the chirping of the birds, the rustling of leaves, and the speech of angels. By looking at a person he could tell everything that happened to him in his lifetime and previous incarnations, his purpose in the world, and prescribe a remedy for his soul.

Those great Torah lights, and others that followed them through the centuries, left their imprint on the city, and today the desire to clearly “see” the truth of the Torah and its deeper meaning is very much alive in Tzfat. 

Even the taxi drivers are well versed in Talmud. The average person here is well aware of Kabbalistics concepts. One of the local book stores has a sidewalk display, which include books on how to read the lines on foreheads and palms,  the spiritual significance of precious stones, the interpretation of dreams, and many books on Segulot (spiritual remedies and protections). Almost every Torah class in the city has multiple references to the Zohar (the major work on Kabalah) , and it is assumed that listeners understand its basic ideas. One of the local wine makers trains every vine he grows to create a shape with kabbalistic significance, the basics of which would take too long to explain in a short post. If you want to know more about holy and mystical aspects of wine-making, you have to go to the “Ancient Tzfat Winery” and contact Rav Moshe. Zohar is being taught in many places of learning, two of which are Rabbi Alon Anava’s Beit Medrash (in English – www.alonanava.com), and Yeshiva Minchat Yehuda (in Hebrew.)

Not surprisingly, Tzfat is a place that attracted Rabbi Meir Sendor, formerly Rabbi of Young Israel of Sharon, MA, whose major focus of interest is authentic Jewish Meditation using kabbalistic approach. (http://www.talorot.org)

We are attending his by-weekly Friday morning meditation sessions. We meet in a typical ancient stone room with high arched dome ceiling, with simple seating on rugs and divans, and large arched windows. The entrance to the room is from the garden with beautiful trees and flowers.

Guided by Rabbi Sendor, we start with five minutes of silent meditation, followed by Kabalistic meditation with specific spiritual goals. After the session is over, we return looking at the world in a different way: the Tzfat way.

When you step out of your home in Tzfat, you never know what adventure this will bring. Last night we went for our usual Motzei Shabbos walk. It was late evening, the town looked quite empty, as there are fewer visitors during the current rain season. On our walk, starting at the Saraya – an 18th century Ottoman fortress, then following the loop of Jerusalem street which circles the mountain upon which the old city of Tzfat is built, we bumped into three different friends and exchanged wishes for a good week, and were heading home. 

When we got to our street, a Sephardi-looking character beckoned us to enter Old City Bomb Shelter #3, which is one minute from our house. We of course immediately entered, and found ourselves in a small room, with women and men sections, separated by wooden lattice divider. The walls were painted pleasant terracotta color,  and had beautiful paintings of ancient Israeli musical instruments, with the names of instruments in Hebrew on the pictures.  There was a “big crowd” in the room, which in Jerusalem would be 200, but in Tzfat a “big crowd” is about 30 people, mostly Moroccan Jews. The atmosphere transported us to 15th century Morocco.

We were warmly greeted by many people, and offered cakes, pastries, drinks and wine.  On a small stage there were three musicians – an oud/vocalist, a violinist, playing a violin held vertically on his knees, and a musician playing doumbeck (middle East drum). There was so much music from those three instruments that it sounded like 20-person band. Everybody was clapping, singing, dancing. The music was mesmerizing.  The people were friendly, warm and generous, and treated us like family. Later a group of Hasidim came in, and also recently elected Tzfat mayor Shuki Ohana, and sat down to listen. Turned out it was a “Hilula” – Yortzait of Baba Sali (famous Moroccan Sephardic Rabbi and Kabbalist).

In the middle of a circle of dancers there was an elderly man with long white beard, dressed in white robe and his head covered with white scarf, and looking himself like Baba Sali, and other people treated him with an apparent respect.

After a while the music stopped. The man dressed like Baba Sali took a microphone and started to talk to the crowd in Hebrew, in unexpectedly young-sounding voice, about his personal encounters with Baba Sali, and also about what music meant for Moroccan Jews, how it was full of longing for the Land of Israel and how it helped to keep connection to the Land before the Jews were able to come here. When he finished speaking, the mayor of Tzfat spoke, saying how much he appreciated Moroccan Jews and offering help and assistance in continuing Moroccan music traditions.  He also mentioned his plans to make a festival of Moroccan and Ladino music, similar to existing Klezmer festival in Tzfat every summer. After that musicians went back to playing and singing. Reluctantly we left as I had to prepare homework for my Hebrew class next morning, and the sounds of music accompanied us on the way home. That was an unexpected, but perfect Motzei Shabbos, in a company of our newly found singing and dancing Moroccan brothers and sisters.

It is a rainy season in Israel, but nobody complains about the rain here, it is considered a blessing, both in a direct and symbolic sense. The country depends on the rain for water supply and agriculture, and it only rains here in the winter. After Passover and until Rosh Ha Shana there is almost no rain at all. Our town is all steps and hills, and when it is raining, there are streams of water and waterfalls everywhere, but all people are saying is “Thank G-d it is raining!”

Another sign of the season is the abundance of winter fruits and vegetables. No fruit that we get is grown more than four hours away by truck, and when we get them, they are picked fresh, at most a few days before we buy them. By the same token, if something not in the season, we usually don’t get it, although some fruits are imported. There are a lot of fruit growing right on the streets, there are olive, lemon, pomegranate, fig trees with branches full of fruit. The ground underneath is sometimes covered with fruit that had not been picked. One can pick fresh fruits off the trees, but needs to know how to separate trumot and maasrot (tithes for cohen, levi and the poor) and to make proper blessings before eating it. Fortunately, when you move to Israel you learn the process pretty quickly. Our new favorites of the winter season are annona (also called in US cheremoya or custard apple; reminiscent of vanilla ice cream, only better), passion fruit, persimmons, kumquats and pomellos; and for vegetables – artichokes. But  tasting and smelling even regular fruit and vegetables, like cucumbers and tomatoes, is unlike anywhere else  in the world, and is a small experience of Gan Eden to the extent that one is able to experience it.

Yet another seasonal sign is tourists. In Tzfat after Chanukkah it’s just regular days (no holidays) until Tu BShvat, which falls on January 21 this year; but seeing many Jewish American tourists reminds us that there is such a thing as a Holiday Season in the US, when people often travel. They come to Tzfat to get inspiration, to revive their Jewish life. Sometimes we stop to talk to them, and Eber always tells them: “Want a real Jewish life? Move to Israel!”

This year was the first time we celebrated the whole week of Chanukkah in Tsfat.

This Holiday is very different here from Purim, in that it has a quiet and inner quality, even though full of joy and sharing. It was a rainy week, full of fog, which added to the inwardness and contemplative spirit of Chanukkah. 

On the eighth day of Chanukkah the fog and rain dissipated, and the sunlight poured through the opening in the clouds. It seemed as if the weather was following the pattern of the Holiday with eighth day called “Zot Chanukkah” – the eighth day representing the culmination of all the light and spirituality of all seven previous days.  On the eighth day the clarity of perception that one seeks on the first7 days of Channukah, suddenly becomes available.

After we lit our candles in the evening we went for a walk around the town. There were many menorah lit outside the houses all through the town, in  a 2000 year old  tradition of the Jewish people, and the night was full of soft vibrating light, peacefulness and warmth. Everywhere we went we met friends, wishing us happy Chanukkah. When we came back, our candles were still burning, and looking at them we felt connected to Maccabees, and even before that – to Aharon HaCohen, lighting the Menorah to affirm truth, goodness and G-dliness.

To those who don’t know, Tzfat seems like a quiet little town, but it is really quiet intense. The prayer is intense, most of the people we know are serious about living spiritual life, and G-d’s providence is evident even in a chance encounter. It is also a small town where people know each other and everyone helps everybody else. But after living in Maine, recently I have been feeling a need for a little more privacy,  and as if an answer to my prayer, we were invited to a trip to Ibikur, only 10 minutes ride on a number 3 bus from our house, a name we never heard before. Ibukur is a North-Western suburb of Tzfat, it is located on top of one of the three mountains, that compose our town. It is higher than Central Tzfat where we live, and there is a major military listening station there. The neighborhood is named after the company that developed it, but it has an unintended Hebrew translation: “Don’t come here”, but we came anyway. Most of it is undeveloped, and is a big nature park, with a very long walking trail, which ends at a military listening station, followed by a 1500 foot drop into the Hula Valley. Also at the end of the trail is a cave with the graves of three great Talmudic scholars: Abaya, Rava, and Rav Papa.The views are spectacular: you can see Hula Valley, the Golan Heights, Lebanon, Syria, Kineret, and a lot of cows.It’s good to know that there is such a place close by, where it is easy to come often, to walk, meditate, and literally, see a big picture!Our excellent guide on this trip was Rabbi Yossi Reis, a native Israeli resident of Tzfat,  who speaks perfect English, and available if anybody is interested in a tour in the North of Israel.

We did not know that on Passover in Tzfat this year we would “see” the face of Hashem.

There is an intense feeling of presence of G-d here, and to a large degree it is manifested through Jewish people, as it often does, when there is unity.

It was felt even during the week leading to Passover, with the atmosphere of growing excitement. Than on the eve of Passover (Friday this year,)  the city suddenly became totally quiet. It was unlike a regular Friday with its festive atmosphere of approaching Shabbos, and Shabbos melodies playing everywhere before candle lighting. But Friday before Passover was eerily quiet while it became cold with strong winds making the clouds move very fast  –  you could feel something momentous was going to happen… 

And then it came – with prayer in the shul, Passover seder, and Chol HaMoed – all of it full of joy, unity and warmth of people sharing with each other. Everywhere we went we felt very welcome and close to other people. And Matza never tasted that good – we can not get enough of it!

Our seder was with a lively Israeli friends’ family, which was most of all about experience of Exodus, with everybody at the table, kids and grown-ups, telling the story loudly with a lot of acting and gesticulation. It was loud, wild and fun.  

Next day after the shul service we expected to have a lunch with another couple – recent olim from England. We joined them in their shul – a small sephardic congregation, called Alyah.  After the service one of the leaders of that shul – a Maroccan man dressed like a prince in white and gold – invited all four of us to join his family for kiddush. We followed him through the narrow alleys of Old City, until he opened one of the narrow doors, behind which we were surprised to see a huge room with three stone domes, lit with bright blue LED-s, and a beautiful inner courtyard. A big table was set like for a wedding. Inside there was a large Maroccan clan and their guests, all of them revolving around the head of the family -“Maroccan prince” who invited us. He seated us next to him, and made sure we have enough food and drink. After the kiddish he would not let us go, insisting we stay for lunch.There was a lot of singing, Divrei Torah, stories and laughter. We left four hours later.

Then on the first day of Chol HaMoed our Israeli friend came to pick us up to join his family at the picnic and barbecue in the forest near Tzfat, in a beautiful location, next to the cave of a famous medieval Rabbi, where there was barbecue, singing, good time…

There were other interesting encounters, visiting new places, etc, and the weather has been perfect.

Even a small part of what we experienced would be “Dayeinu” – enough for us… but  Passover week is not over yet, and there is still more to come… 

Approaching Passover is very visible in Tzfat. After the beginning of Nissan many places of learning and work have Passover break (all our classes stopped too until after the Holiday week.) Everybody talks about seder plans, all stores display kosher for Passover products, households are preoccupied with cleaning, and there is a happy and excited atmosphere. A fresh bright blue paint appeared overnight all over Old City on some doors, gates, railings. We can not figure out how they decide where to paint those bright blue patches of blue color that are so characteristic of Tzfat.These are signs of approaching Holiday visible to everybody, but Eber had an opportunity to see what is below the surface – a glimpse of the beating of the heart of our people.We ordered matza from the Breslov community, and Sunday night we were waiting for our friend to pick Eber up in his car to drive to the distribution place. When the friend knocked at our door, it was almost 10 pm.Together they drove to the distribution point in the industrial area, which has a piece of land donated by the city of Tzfat to the Breslov community. The distribution was held in the portable school house, which was full from bottom to top with large boxes of Matza. Everywhere you could see there were Breslov Hasidim, crowding, greeting each other, waiting to get their order. That was special and very expensive Matza, but the price was significantly subsidized by an unknown benefactor, so people could afford it.When they got their orders, it was after 11:30 pm. The friend asked Eber if he would not mind to stop at the Lelov shul to pick up the food donated for his daughter, who has 5 kids.When they arrived at Lelov, they saw a huge crowd of people, cars full of food, boxes with eggs, vegetable, juice, fruits etc; people loading  food in the carts and cars, and the atmosphere was lively and boisterous. This was a distribution center of food for Passover for poor Jewish families which are many in Tzfat, often with many children and very little money, especially for Passover, when everything is very expensive. All the food was donated by other Jews in the community and friends of the Tzfat Jewish community abroad. There was a long wait time, so Eber decided to walk home. On the way, passing the shul of Sanz Hasidim – he saw another distribution center of food for poor families – boxes with grape juice and all kinds of foods.The task of providing poor families with food for Passover continues throughout this whole week, and this morning the Breslov community was distributing fruits and vegetables to poor families.This is the Hagada of Pesach coming alive: “All who are hungry – let them come and eat.”

Tu B’Shvat in Israel is not at all like we have experienced it before in the US. Here it is not just an abstract Holiday, but you are really enveloped in its joy and holiness. A few days in advance all store fronts have big ads for Tu B’Shvat fruits, everybody talks about it, and the joy of approaching holiday is palpable. On Erev Tu B’Shvat, which was Tuesday this week, every year a group of women organize a hike together in the vicinity of Tzfat, near Meron, to be close to the nature. About 12 women of all ages came to participate, mostly from Tzfat, but some came from other smaller communities in the North, all English-speakers. It was nice to be in the woods and mountains and see blossoming trees and new flowers. A few women prepared some Tu B’Shvat -related teachings, and others also shared mystical stories related to trees and nature. That experience was a great preparation for the evening of that day, on which there were many Tu B’Shvat gatherings, big and small, which we could join. We decided to go to Ascent, which is one of the Lubavitch places in Tsfat, which is two minutes walk from us. When we came to the lobby of Ascent the woman who was taking the registration told us there was no room, because they planned for 50 people, and there were already 60, but this being Israel, it turned out that out of the three women running the program, two were friends of ours, so there was no problem! We asked where it was, and we were told to go downstairs to the “cave.”  We can not really describe it, but the picture does! .In the “cave” there was a very long table covered with many many color-coded plates of various fruit, so they can be eaten in the certain order, established by Arizal in which different types of fruit correspond to different parts of a tree (roots, trunk, brunches and fruit) which also correspond to four spiritual worlds, which also correspond to four letters of the Holy Name of G-d. Seder also included four cups of wine – white, mostly white, half-white/half red, and nearly all red. There were many different types of people, from very religious to completely secular, but we felt like it was one close family. The Rabbi and Rebbetzin Tillis who led the seder gave over many mystical teachings, but many other men and women also contributed and shared thoughts and stories related to Tu B’Shvat. The seder started precisely at 8:08 time it was set for, and it was three hours of incredible mystical stories, joy and laughter, as we never experienced before while eating dry fruits! It seemed like we were there only 5 minutes. This Holiday signifies the beginning of spring in Israel, and living here, you can really feel it. Needless to say, we are happy to be here.