Day 40 - Netzach - Noa

Picture this: around 40 Moriah students, an optional 5am wakeup for a beautiful shachrit at the Kotel, pouring rain, sleepy faces, yet, lots of energy. The inspiring thing about this morning wasn’t the davening, nor the Shabbos music on our bus; the overall turn out this morning was something so special, so inspiring. Despite the torrential downpour, the small Kotel shul was overflowing, packed to the brim with people with the same mission as ourselves; to start Erev Shabbos on an ultimate high. All of our teffilot overflowed out of each crack in the Kotel, a fitting way to end our IST journey. The first week in Poland juxtaposed that of the last as we spend it now in Jerusalem, the ultimate goal of too many.

We made our way to a paint bar overlooking beautiful Jerusalem. We painted in a way that spoke to us, some painted beautiful scenes we’ve seen along our travels, others painted something totally different, an amazing way to reflect and fully absorb what was these last six weeks.

We then began our final Shabbos as a full IST year group on an absolute high. Hair was straightened, mirror selfies were taken and phone calls home were made; the start of the end. With an inspirational Chanukah and Shabbos candle lighting, and a meaningful Kabbalat Shabbat davening behind us, we were truely ready to jump into our last hours of IST.

Rabbi David illustrated to us that through Yosef’s life we learn that Judaism is a struggle and nothing is ever handed to us on a silver platter. As a result, we learn that in order to achieve greatness we must try, struggle and only then prosper.

Today was such an incredible lead up to what we know will be an amazing Shabbos and an even more amazing end to the program.

Noa Gold - 27.12.2019