Hearing of Kabbalah

Today, Sunday, is like Monday in the rest of the world. I worked on this Blog, studied some Hebrew, had a nice lunch at a cafe on the beach. Walking home, I stumbled by the Kabbalah Center. I only know Kabbalah as Jewish mysticism. I have been looking for some classes to take and thought this might be an option. A representative met with me and explained that all classes are only in Hebrew. He offered tapes and book, though. On my way out, another man wearing a yamulke started talking with me and told me that there will be an anniversary celebration for the man that wrote the Zohar, the most important book in Kabbalah. It will be next Saturday night. There will be a bus leaving Tel Aviv to go to the north of Israel at 9:00 Saturday night and returning at 6:00 Sunday AM. It's an all-night celebration and he said there should be over a thousand people there from all over the world. The man recommended a beginning Kabbalah book in English and I bought it.

OK, on Shabbat, I walked down the promenade by the beach and was indeed actually captivated by the band of Hari Krishnas that were dancing and singing an intreaguing and soothing melody. I was impressed that, although the words were the same as I had heard for decades, they had a new peaceful tune... and I liked it. I didn't have my camera. Anyway, I'm thinking about going on this new adventure. It's next Saturday night. Who knows....

Tonight, my friend Benji told me of an English speaking open-mike night poetry reading near my house. He said I should go. "O...K, I...guess." I went and met the American and English expatriots that were either reading poetry or ganging up on me with their cigarette smoke. It was a strange and somewhat scary scene. You can't even understand some of the Brits when they read but there is some dark stuff that comes out of some of these people. One scary Brit that you could hardly understand says something about how the Jewish star cut deeply into his vein and the blood poured out... The folks around me and I were scared of this guy. We were just glad he live this long without going on a murder rampage.

I have only my 8:00 class tomorrow AM to learn to read and write the cursiff Hebrew. When I master that, they say they'll place me in a daily class. Until then, it's once a week. I can't deal with that any more. I'm going to insist on getting in a daily class even if I'm over my head or under my head. We'll see.

לילה טוב,

Randy