Today is one week we have been in Tzfat. There is a lot about Tsfat that is hidden. Small shuls, that are not listed anywhere, but you open the door and find a vibrant minyan; tiny one-person operated cafes, with unexpectedly great tasting food, etc. Tzfat is known as a city of gates, and today on our one-week anniversary of being here we had some gates opened for us. First gate was a gate to the language – we started the government-sponsored new immigrant ulpan. We have been, unfortunately, placed in “pensioners” class. Our group is composed of 8 Russians and 7 Americans. The first question the teacher asked us in Hebrew was “Do you work?” And everybody answered “No”. Most of the small talk in the class was in Russian. We were fortunate to sit next to Max from Queens, NY, who has been in Tzfat since last February. He told us about the place he found for prayer and learning, and offered to show it to us on his way home. (Everything in the town is a short walk.) The entrance gate to the shul was locked,  the doorway had no identification, no sign on it. Max said that mincha minyan should be starting in 45 minutes, so Eber returned to attend it. It turned out to be a new place run by Rabbi Alon Anava, who invited both Eber and me for 6 pm study group for Zohar. The study group was in English, but using Zohar in original Aramaic text. We were very impressed by the teacher knowledge and teaching style, and where else to study Zohar if not in Tzfat? After class we were immediately invited for Shabbos by Rabbi Alon Anava, and I have been also invited for women Halacha-learning group three mornings a week. After the Zohar class was over we went to a very nice cafe Monitin, and sat down for dinner. Next to us there was a religious couple, who looked at us as if they recognized us (this happen to us often in Tsfat). We started to talk, and they turned out to be Rabbi and Rebetzin, running an English speaking girls yeshiva. They gave us more information about what’s going on in Tsfat, and we exchanged our phones and emails – more gates have been opened… The final gate we opened at 11 pm today – was a kelim (dishes) mikva, which we were looking for a few days; we could not see it even though we knew where it was. Finally we realized that it was directly in front of us, in a 6-foot high stone box with a metal cover. We lifted the metal cover (gate) – and there was a mikva! We dipped the dishes, and now we are ready to start cooking!