Friday, 4 September 2015

I didn't quite make it out for a regular walk this morning, but I did walk down to recycle cardboard and buy challah for Shabbat.

I taught 3 units of Berlitz lessons today: 9:00-9:45 and 11:30-1:00.

At 1:30 I had an appointment with my psychiatrist. He decided to change my medicine, but it will have to be done gradually.

As the light was about to fade from our lovely valley, I lit candles, drank a bit of red wine, and ate a bite of challah to welcome Shabbat.

Here is a link to a YouTube performance and here are the words to the refrain of a Shabbat song that I heard for the first time last Friday night, at the wonderful Kabbalat Shabbat service on the Mediterranean beach of Shavei Tzion, just south of Nahariya:

מתנות קטנות

מישהו שלח לי מתנות קטנות

רסיסים של כוונה עיגולים של אמונה

מתנות קטנות

מישהו שלח לי מתנות קטנות

כמו הכוח לקבל את מה שאין את מה שיש

מה עוד אפשר כבר לבקש

matanot ktanot

mishehu shalakh li matanot ktanot

r'sisim shel kavana igulim shel emuna

matanot ktanot
mishehu shalakh li matanot ktanot

kmo ha-koakh l'kabel et ma she'en et ma she'yesh

ma od efshar kvar l'vakesh

[my transliteration of the Hebrew]

Small gifts

Someone sent me small gifts,

Fragments of intention, circles of faith.

Small gifts

Someone sent me small gifts,

Like the strength to accept what is not and what is.

What more could one ask for?

[my translation to English]