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Friday, September 16, 2005 - Goreme, Cappadocia
We slept so well last night; we missed the Muazzin call for prayer. My first full night sleep since we started our trip. It is Friday today. I need to call the kids, Nitza and my friends for the weekly Shabbat Shalom. I really want to have a real Shabbat today. I will read the portion of the week later.
Today we will go to explore Pigeon Valley. It is called Pigeon Valley because there are many pigeons in the area. The locals attracted the pigeons by carving special openings in the walls and painting them with colors. They needed the pigeons because they used the droppings to fertilize the soil. We packed small lunch and headed down the street. Few merchants set an open market down the street. Nice fresh produce. This is Benny’s territory. At home he used to go every Shabbat to the Valley Produce Market. He loves to buy fresh produce. He is at his element. I step aside. Never mind that I shopped for a houseful of kids for 30 plus years. At this round, shopping for fresh produce is Benny’s domain. He can tell the taste of an apple by the look. I love to watch him selecting a melon.
I heard Hebrew. Two young girls are shopping. We start a conversation. Galit and Edit are shopping for Shabbat. One is from Efrat, the other from Jerusalem. Their parents came to Israel from the US some 30 years ago. Orthodox, but you could not tell by their look. They also hiked the Kachkar Mountains.
“Please come and join us for Shabbat”.
“I would love to come, what can I bring?”
My assignment is to bring dessert. I will bring the orange melon with green spots and special cookies that are kosher called Biscream. “Please get the one with the dark cover”. I am overjoyed. Benny tries to calm me down, “relax”. He says.
We stopped at the market for melon and cookies. The melon at Gureme cost 3.5 liras, or 3.50 millions. The Turkish money used to be in millions. This year they dropped the million, but many of them still use it. So one million in Turkish money is the same as one.
We later passed a tractor loaded with melons. Is he selling them? We asked the driver, “how much?”
“One million. We bought two.
We headed toward Pigeon Valley. With each step I wanted to take a picture. Powerful natural forces created these marvelous shapes and people use them for homes. Large shapes that look like a mushrooms or more like a pinas (how do you spell it?), and there is an opening for a door and it is carved from the inside, and there is a television dish, and laundry is hanging and a vegetable garden next to it.
Ageless man and woman mixing something white, it looks like white clay. Are they building something, making an addition to their home?. Another ageless woman is sitting on a melon and cracked open yellow squashes and is removing the seeds to dry. We go under natural tunnels that were carved by water. We passed many orchards and vines. Trees loaded with apples, prunes, cherries and quinces (chavushim in Hebrew). The soil is very fertile here and with plenty of water trees grow and nobody pick the fruit. We pick up apples, prunes, cherries and grapes. It is so delicious.
Benny said, “the grapes have seeds”. Hello, grapes supposed to have seeds. Seedless grapes must be human invention.
We finally arrived to the city of Uchisar. It does not look real. No artist could have created anything like that. The city sits on top of the hill with cave homes and some traditional homes scattered in between. Often, a construction is added to the cave. The many photos that we took will tell a better story.
Benny said “look at the clouds, we better head home”. Dark clouds covered the sky and it was windy. Going down hill on the powdered volcanic rock is very slippery. Benny ran down the hill. I was scared, the hill is very steep. Benny said, “don’t stop, if you stop you will sleep, keep moving, that’s how you balance”. Benny should be a trekking coach, he always have the right techniques. So I looked down and started moving, saying to myself “keep moving, leg after leg, don’t stop keep moving...”, and before I knew it, I was down the hill. It worked. He coaches me with the same technique whenever we cross a river and have to hop from one rock to the next. “Don’t stop, keep moving, if you stop, you will loose your balance”.
Back in our cave, we are getting ready for Shabbat. What shall I wear? I only have two choices. Wish that I had a white shirt. Well, my jeans and t-shirt will have to do for this Shabbat. We take our melon and special cookies and headed toward the Kose Pension. It is rainy and there is no electricity in town. We put our clear plastic ponchos on and go. Kose Pension is on the other side of town and is very popular with the Israelis. It is not a very nice place and they pay the same price that we do: ten liras per person. However, they have the use of the kitchen and for the young orthodox Israelis this is very important.
Somebody asked “what time do we light the candles?’ There was a reply “6:15, same as in Israel”, another voice “it gets darker earlier here.”
The girl with the glasses invited me to light the candles. There is another discussion with the owner regarding the lights on and off and the light in the refrigerator. They drove the Turkish owner nuts with the dishes, lights, Shabbat setting, but he was very patient with them and they were very assertive.
“Were do we pray? “
“It is too cold on the roof”.
“We do not have another area”.
Finally we all go up to the roof. It is cold. Some of them are sitting, some are already praying. Somebody explained to me that they are doing Minchah.
“Boys go sit in the front.”
Moving some chairs around, “Do we have minyan?” Benny comes and joins in. We have two Benny’s in the crowd.
“Dudu, you are the Hazan!”
“Why always me?, Amihai you be the Hazan!”
“No Dudu, you are better!”
“Oh, you guys, why men always argue, Dudu you are the Hazan!”
And Dudu started: “Yedid Nefesh, Av Harahaman….”, and everyone joined with beautiful voices.
I cannot believe that this is real. The city of Goreme is in front of us, getting ready for the evening, my soul is exploding out of my body and I am trying to capture the moment. Thanks you, whoever you are, for bringing me to that moment.
More people joined in, we are now about twenty people. I used my siddur that Amalia gave me before we left for the trip. Amihai gave Benny his Siddur. “Lecha dodi Likrat Kala……Boi Beshalom Ateret Baala”, and they all bow with such devotion. What a beautiful melody, they all participate, the city of Goreme is in the background, lights on, it is cold on the roof, but nobody minds.
They cannot continue the service. “Why?” Somebody explained to me that it is not dark yet. Somebody started a song and everyone joined. A song about somebody going to the shuk (market), because today is Shabbat. And more songs followed.
We have to wait for darkness for Arvit. “Amihai, you do the Drash.”
“I did not prepare anything.”
“That’s ok, just do it.”
Somebody is handing him a Humash, Parashat Ki Tetze. Amihai welcomes everyone, and says that most of us do not know each other, but everyone is welcome to stay for Shabbat meal, there is food for everyone.
He reads the first paragraph of the portion. “It is a very difficult portion and very controversial, especially among women, but also for men. If you go to a war, and you capture your enemy, and you see a beautiful woman and you want her, you bring her to your house, shave here hair, let her mourn for one month for her mother and father, and if after a month you still want her, you can marry her.
Amihai saya that the common sense would be to say: do not touch a woman that does not belong to you. However, the Torah is not afraid to tackle difficult issues. The torah recognizes that men have temptations, and especially during the war. Raping captive women during war was common in those days. The Torah recognizes that if it will say “do not rape your captives” people would do it anyway. So it tells the person, if you are tempted, you can do it, but do it right. Let the woman mourn over her family and you have one month to think if you really want her.
Briliant. What a nice young man. “We do not have to wait for darkness, we can start and do the Shema later”, somebody suggested.
It is getting darker, we continue with the service. So much devotion, how do you raise kids like that. They are so young, but so convinced in what they are doing. They are so kind to each other, they laugh a lot and joke at each other. More people come, more chairs, sharing siddurim. I am so proud to have my own siddur.
“Adon Olam” and the service is over. Shabbat shalom, hugging. I kiss my Benny, what a special service that was. Time to go in.
“Benny, you do the Kiddush.” (Not my Benny, there is another one).
“Do we have wine?”
“Yes, we squeezed some grapes today.” It tasted so good, the cup goes around. Time to wash our hands. Silence until everyone is in for Hamotzie.
The other Benny is doing Hamotzie. There is salad, rice, couscus, soup, mashed potatoes, fried slices of eggplant and a lot of bread.
“The couscus is so delicious”, I commented.
“Instant Osem,” was the reply. I have to try that one when I am back home.
“The soup is so good”, I said.
“Hodi-Tailandi” (Indian-Tailand) was the reply. They all spent time in India and Tailand and brought dishes from there.
“The Israelis are corrupting the world” said the beautiful girl.
“What do you mean?” asked another.
“You mean to say that the few of us can corrupt the million of them”, responded another.
“Israelis are very hospitable and good people and friendly”.
“Yes, but they come to places where the local population is very na?ve and leave their mark there”.
“One Turk asked me who is left in Israel, looks like they all come to Turkey”.
“What do the Israeli in California think about the Hitnatkut?” (Getting out of Gaza). I dare not discuss politics with this hard-core group.
Benny said“, we have very divided opinions just like in Israel. We discussed the right to vote for Israelis who live outside of Israel. Avishai said, “ don’t worry about it, we have no leaders anyway. There is no one to vote for”.
Food was passed around, everything was so good. I asked them how do they know each other. They left Israel in twos or threes and met along the way. People join them and leave. Now they are about eleven who travel together. They say that they know where everyone is now in their travels.
How is it for single girls to travel alone in Turkey?
“Not so easy”, Zvia answered and continue telling us about how annoying the Turks are to single young girls in the bus and everywhere.
Touching and flirting.
Time for dessert, our contribution to the meal.
Time for Birkat Hamazon.
What time shall we start tomorrow? 8:00 or 9:30 am? Dudu tells everyone that he will start Shaharit at 9:30. Everyone is greeting us good bye, I will never forget this Shabbat. What other tradition can produce youth like ours? On our way to our pension, we stopped at the internet caf? to check email. There is an email form Dror, our new young friend from Nes Ziyona. “Where are you?” He is also in the Kose pension. We will look for him tomorrow. It is raining during the night. It was warm and cozy in our cave.
Benny said: “Are you happy?” “I am so happy”.
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