Shabbos at the Kibbutz

Israel does Shabbos right. The world we live in is constantly in motion but out here in the desert, specifically the kibbutz, it stands still. After resting and eating, I attended the most special and meaningful bat mitzvah of my lifetime. I have been to my fair share but this was by far the best. It was just our group in a simple white room with an ark and some folding chairs. One of the boys took the position as rabbi and we did our best to have a mostly kosher Torah service. We took turns in groups doing the Aliyah's and then it was time for the final one. The bat mitzvah girl is 20 and this was her second time at a Torah service. She was beaming the whole time. All of us there, together in Israel, it couldn't have been more beautiful. The service was followed by a round of the horah and a pool party. All in all it was a phenomenal Shabbos day full of "I cans" instead of the usual "but I can'ts". 

Sam Winkelmann