Shabbat Shalom

One week ago I got off a bus in Haifa with a handful of friends, grabbed the tents and bags of food we had bought, and walked across the street to the beach. We began walking down the beach looking for our other friends who had spend the previous night on the beach; they were supposed to have a nice spot for us. They did. We walked up to the only other tent on the beach, surrounded by Israeli beach goers, and began to set up our campsite, knowing we only had about four hours before the sun went down and Shabbat would begin. Aryeh and I set out to find some kosher food for lunch (not as easy as you would think on the beach front in Haifa) and wound up at the bus station across the street eating mini pizzas. Although, we only went to lunch after walking thirty minutes up the beach looking for fire wood. Later that afternoon, Barry and Jake came with me to retrieve the wood we found. It was not an easy walk back, and taking off my shirt before carrying back two door-sized pieces of broken wood probably wasn't the best idea either. Eventually, we got back to the campsite where we found that everyone had made it to the beach/gotten back from the store/threw down the wood they had carried and was ready for a nap.
As we sat around, we decided to take a few moments before doing final Shabbat prep to call our friend, Brian. Brian had returned to the states earlier that week and we all knew that if he had been in Israel he would have been on that beach with us. So we did what had to be done; woke his ass up at ten in the morning to talk to us for 'bout twenty minutes. After we sent our Shabbis greetings 'across the pond,' we had a fire to build.
The idea was to built the fire out so that it would burn for a long time and the coals would stay hot through the night. Ya. That did not happen. Remember those door-sized pieces of wood? Those lit up. Quick. Our fire was more like an inferno and it ruined a couple of good cans of tuna we were trying to cook, but it lit and that was really all that mattered. We lit Shabbat candles as well (as if we needed more fire) and gathered around the fire to pray Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma'ariv. If you've ever had the privilege of praying with a group of people you love, who are so passionate about what they are saying, then imagine that experience on this beach (--->), in front of a fire you built, with a handful of people watching you. It was perfect.
We did Kiddush and blessed the challah and roll we had bought, and everyone began pulling out the assorted canned goods and cured meats that were going to be dinner...and breakfast...and lunch...and dinner again. Dinner began with everyone sharing the best, worst, and most looked forward to parts of their week, and was interrupted by various singing sessions (including a completely ad-libbed favorite). Once more, it was perfect.
Most of us slept outside the tents and one of us (guess who) slept as close to the few remaining coals as possible. I woke up on top of where the fire had once been, surprisingly quite cozy. That Shabbat was exactly what Shabbat was meant to be; a relaxing day on the beach, with friends, naps, sounds of the sea, and more salami. Ok, so maybe Shabbat isn't supposed to have ice cream trucks blaring music, secular people smoking hooka, or sunburn...but I maintain: it was perfect!
Finally, the sun set once again, we debated whether that thing was a star or a planet, debated whether it actually mattered, decided it was late enough anyway, waited for Moshe to come back from the bathroom, and did Havdallah. If you've ever had the experience of having an amazing Kabbalat Shabbat with an incredible group of people, spent Shabbat with that group of people, and then bid farewell to Shabbat with as much passion as you welcomed it the night before with those people, imagine that, but in nearly complete darkness on this beach (refer to above).

It was a phenomenal Shabbat, and I'm sad Ira couldn't come (much love I.), but the ten other people who were there with me really made it what it was. You guys are the best, it was my pleasure camping out with you.

Shabbat Shalom.

(one of us was taking the picture, the other was...somewhere. I swear, there were eleven of us camping...so ya)