Neubort Report on Parshas Chayei Sara

November 30, 2009

Danny greeting guests on Erev Shabbos Parshas Chayei Sara Packed what I needed for Shabbos in a knapsack. Friday 9:30AM left the Old City through Shaar Yaffo [the Yaffa Gate], took the #20 bus from Karta Parking Lot to Tachana Merkazit [the Central Bus Station]. Took 15 minutes to get through security and enter the Tachana. Went up to 2nd floor to the #160 bus platform. Something was wrong, should have been hundreds of people waiting there, but there was nobody. The Pakid [receptionist] told me that today the busses are leaving “mibachutz” [from a place outdoors – this of course he learns after spending 15 minutes at security getting in! - Ed] but could not tell me where. Outside, the security people said it was from the next street over, opposite Binyanei HaUma [a large convention center]. Went to that location, but no 160 bus was going from there. A driver of some other inter-city bus told me it was from the Bus #1 stop. “Tamshich hala letachana haba’a.” [Continue on to the next station.] So I walked all the way down to the next stop, (needed to cross big multi-direction intersection).

Right under the new really ugly pedestrian bridge there was a bus stop for #160. But only one other person waiting there. Again, something wrong, should have been hundreds. We waited and waited, but no bus. Other busses that stopped there, the drivers said “Hu acharai, od me’at yagia.” [Its right behind us, it will be here soon.] Finally, a double-sized bus with a 160 sign approaches, completely empty, but does not stop. Now we knew something was really wrong. Called Egged information. After 6 minutes, we got connected. Yes the #160 leaves from the #1 stop, but right across from the Tachana Merkazit, where the #1 leaves towards the Kotel! Trekked all the way back there, and sure enough, several double-size busses (not bulletproof) marked 160, and hundreds of people packing into them. I paid my “Vatik” [seniors – I am not sure why Neubort put the quotation marks – it could be he is making fun of himself being “ancient.” – Ed.] discounted fare of 8.80 NIS.

As soon as the bus was full it left, but went only as far as the barrier beyond the tunnels. There, we had to get off and change to armored busses. Two busses were just pulling out, and we had to wait. Meanwhile the hot sunny day turned cold and overcast. Just as a pouring rain started, two additional busses arrived, and we all rushed to pack into them. Arrived in Kiryat Arba, where we were told “That’s all, folks!” (in those exact English words), no busses going down to Chevron. And just then, the rain stopped. I was prepared to walk, but didn’t know where the road was. A fellow in Tzahal [army] uniform asked me where I wanted to go, and when he heard I was Danny Cohen’s guest, he ran to get his car to drive me down there. On the way he picked up two young local boys.

The regular road was closed to vehicles, and an alternate road was also closed. He sent one of the boys to remove the barrier. A policeman appeared yelling “al tiftach, al tiftach!” [don’t open it!], but the driver and I motioned for him to open the barrier quickly and get back in the car. He did so, and we proceeded, until another policeman stopped us. I explained that I am hard of hearing, and that I misheard the first policeman, thinking he said “tiftach” [open it] and not hearing the “al [don’t].” While he went back to consult with the first policeman, I told the driver “Sa! Sa!” [Drive! Drive!] the driver gunned the accelerator, and drove down into Chevron without further incident.

The driver let me out at the Avraham Avinu neighborhood and people pointed me to Danny Cohen’s house. He greeted me, gave me a glass of tea, and told me my lodging was in Beit Schneersohn (originally Rebetzin Menucha Rachel’s home), right hand entrance, top floor, left hand door, Mishpachat Noiman [the family Noiman]. I was to share a room with Meir Rhodes. Because of the large crowds expected, they were going to Daven [pray] in the Chabad Shul near his house; I could join them, or I could Daven in Mearas HaMachpeila [the Cave of the Patriarchs], but to be back at the house at 6:30 for the Seuda [meal, in this case the Shabbos meal] and Farbrengen [Chassidic gathering with studies, songs, schmooze and booze]. I went to the Noiman home, left my stuff on the bed, went to the Mikva [pool of water for ritual immersion], and from there to Mearas HaMachpeila. There were about a hundred people gathered at the eastern wall where the Seventh Step used to be [for centuries prior to 1967, Jews were only allowed to go as far as the seventh step of a side entrance to the Maara by restriction of Muslim rulers], and when I got there someone offered me a chair. So I sat down to say Tehillim. After about 20 minutes the chair (which was unevenly perched on a rocky surface) gave way, and I went tumbling down along with the now broken chair, rolling over and over. People ran up to assist me, but I was completely unharmed, except for my silk Sirtuk [formal coat] which was all dusty. A policeman brought a towel and a bottle of seltzer, and insisted I must let him clean me off.

By now, many people were arriving in Chevron. Most of them walking down the road behind the meara, coming down from Kiryas Arba. Hundreds! Thousands! Men, women, teen-agers, children, Sephardim, Ashkenasim, Shtreimels, Peyos, pony tails, caps, knit kippos, all arriving for Shabbos Chevron. Now I went into the Meara itself, where the security was less tight than usual, because Jewish Chevron had been closed off to non-Jews. I was told that the large Yitzchak hall would be open at 3PM, and remain open until 9PM when the Meara would be closed for the night. It would be open again at 4AM until 9PM Motzoei Shabbos [literally, when Shabbos goes out, meaning, Saturday evening]. I caught a Minyan for Mincha, said some Tehillim, Maavered the Sedra, then went back to the Noiman pace to get rid of my Muktza. [Said appropriate prayers and texts before Shabbos. Muktza are those things we do not touch on Shabbos, e.g. money and cell phones.]

Returned to the Meara, by now the Yitzchak hall was open. The entrance was from the usual Jewish side at the front, but halfway up the stairs was a door to the back stairway usually used by the Arabs. Women went up the usual stairs, men up the back stairs. From the north end of the Chatzer [open area] we entered the green doors that are usually shut and guarded by police and soldiers so that no Jew should Chas Veshalom [G-d forbid – although this is a legitimate expression, it is being used here with sarcasm] try to enter the Ohel Yitzchak. But now the doors were wide open, and we entered a large ante-room where the Arab carpets that usually line the Ohel floor were now piled up. From there into the magnificent Ohel Yitzchak hall. I found one of the few remaining chairs, and sat down just inside the door because of the intense heat inside. I said some more Tehillim, then Shir HaShirim.

Meanwhile numerous Minyanim were Davening Kabbolas Shabbos and Maariv both inside, and outside in the Chatzeir and the Avraham hall. When most of the Minyanim had cleared out, some Lubo’s [Chabad Lubavitcher Chassidim] showed up to Daven Kabbolas Shabbos. As we started to Daven, the rain started again. A heavy downpour that made a very loud noise as the raindrops hit the canvass covering that had been spread over the Chatzeir. But when we finished Davening and were about to leave the rain was slowing down, and within 2 or 3 minutes it stopped. We proceeded to the Cohen house. On the roof there is a huge multi-purpose area that can be covered or uncovered, or Schach [organic material for the roof of a Sukka] can be put on top. It seats about 100 people, and on a usual Shabbos 100 soldiers come to eat Seudas Shabbos there, and 5 places are set aside for guests. This week the 100 guests ate there, and 5 places were set aside for soldiers who came and ate in shifts.

The Seuda was a multi-course meal with enormous amounts of food, all cooked by Batsheva Cohen on a tiny stove in a tiny kitchen. There was also a lot of Mashke [in this context Mashke means booze] consumed during the meal and Farbrengen. Baruch Marzel came to Farbreng with us. Then Rav Druckman from Krayot. MC was a Shaliach named Spiegel from Eugene Oregon. After benching we moved to the Avraham Avinu open space where a large tent had been set up for people to eat. Most had finished eating, and we sat down to continue Farbrenging. Entertainment was provided by Dov Shurin. Then we broke up into smaller groups, and I Farbrenged with some of the youth. Finally got to bed at 2:30AM.

I got up at 4AM, went to the Mikva, then had coffee and cookies at a stand that had been set up in the street. Passing the Avraham Avinu Shuk [Shuk means market place. The area Neubort is referring to is an area with some open space that used to be a marketplace – Ed.], I found Dov Shurin sleeping on the back seat of his car, with his legs sticking out resting on a chair he had placed next to the car. Got to Mearas HaMachpeila at quarter to five. It was already so packed that I couldn’t find a place inside. I started my Shabbos Mevorchim Tehillim [on the Shabbos before the a new Hebrew month begins, Chabad Chassidim say the entire book of Pslams before Davening] in the Chatzer, and at a little after 6AM I was able to find a place for a chair near the door inside the Yitzchak Hall. Later, numerous Minyanim were Davening, but I finished my Tehillim for Shabbos Mevorchim. At 8:30 I went outside and had another coffee at one of the numerous tables that had been set up, then to the Chabad Shul, where they were saying Tehillim, but I took a Sefer [book] to learn.

We all went back to the Meara and started the Chabad Minyan at 10AM. We were joined by numerous others who had arrived late, and by the time we got to Borechu there were several hundred Davening with us. The Davening was Simchas Torah style. Then the Kibudim [literally, honors, referring to the various responsibilities in the services] were auctioned off. They started with Maftir [final reading from the Torah], which I bought. Altogether close to $10,000 was raised.

After Davening, back to the Cohen house for Seuda and Farbrengen. Then we had a Tahalucha [walking tour] all along Jewish Chevron, ending up at the old Ashkenazic cemetery just below Abu Sneina hills, at the Tziyun of Rebbetzin Menucha Rachel [resting place]. It has all been fixed up with a fancy 2-level Tziyun, a terrace above it, and a beautiful Shul, and a Beis Hamedrash. There we Davened Mincha, then Seder Niggunim and a Maamar, then Maariv and Havdalla. I said Veyiten Lecha together with a young soldier who did not look like saying Veyiten Lecha was something he regularly did. But he said it slowly and with Kavana [feeling], so that I had to wait for him before turning the page.

Stopped at the tombs of Rus and Yishai on the way down. Osniel ben Kenaz was not accessible, because it is in PA territory, and they violated the agreement which says they are supposed to close off the street from their side so Jews can get to the kever during the 10 days when we have the holy places. But the kever of Abner ben Ner next to Mearas HaMachpeila was open because the Street the Arabs use to get to the meara is controlled by Israel.

Got my stuff from the Noiman apartment, stopped at the Cohen house to say thank you, and said I would send a check by mail, but they said to give it to Aliza Karp instead. Went to say goodbye to Mearas HaMachpeila. By now the Mechitza [separation used to demarcate areas for men and women] had been removed, and they were busy taking down everything and anything Jewish from the Yitzchak hall so it could be turned over to the Arabs the next day and they would not have anything Jewish to defile and destroy. Some crazy young girl insisted that the hole that supposedly leads down to the tombs had been on the women’s side of the Mechitza and should still be there, and she held up a curtain and blocked off the hole from any men approaching it, while more crazy girls and a few crazy women lined up to kneel at the hole and whisper some prayer down it. I yelled at them that it is forbidden to kneel on a stone floor, but they didn’t listen. Eventually a policewomen came and chased them away.

A tour bus was running up and down the hill, taking people up to Kiryat Arba, and bringing down people who just arrived. I don’t know if the operator driver volunteered, or if someone had chartered them to do it. The busses were working the same way, departing without any schedule, as soon as they were filled. And again, had to change busses at the roadblock beyond the tunnels. Arrived back in Yerushalayim. Went down to the Kotel. When people discovered I had been in Chevron, I was suddenly a hero. Mashke and herring was produced from somewhere, and I had to Farbreng and tell people all about it. Later, others who had been in Chevron joined us. Sunday morning after Shacharis [morning prayers] I had to do it again, this time with cookies and Mashke.

Chabad House porch ready for guests on Erev Shabbos Parshas Chayei Saranot everyone had accomodations so they accomodated themselvesFabrengen Tent in the Shuk

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