Reflections on Shabbat

Rebecca Silberfarb

Ms. Novick

Israel reflection Essay

 

Free is What I Felt

Yoko Ono once said, "Every drop in the ocean counts." A Shabbat evening, our last full day in Israel. I get on my beach clothes and head down to the beach. I hear the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks and shore. I see the blue of the sea, so blue and mystical looking. I walk down to the rocks and spend an evening with my friend and my teacher down where the water meets the rocks. Since it was Shabbat, we were not allowed to use our cameras, so every detail of the ocean and every moment of that day will stay in my memory. This moment by the rocks gave me time not to worry about anything else. This moment made me realize how beautiful the ocean is, and how much fun I can have with water and shells.

We sat by the rigid rocks and watched the sun shine down on the water. We walked out into the water where there are small holes in the rocks. In the little holes are shells, all types of shells.  Some shells have even little animals living in them. I dip my hand in a hole, and a rush of cold rushes through my hand because of the cold water. As I reach down, I feel for a shell and grab one and bring it up. The shine from the water that is left on it shimmers in the sun. I have a big bag filled with all the shells I have found so far. Every shell is different. Each shell is unique.  I hear the sound of the shells banging together as I prance along on the rocks. I stop at a big dip in a rock. In the dip, I find all these shells. My friend and I sit in the dip of shells picking up one by one to see if there is one we want to keep. For the rest of the evening we sit in the shells, lay on the beach, prance on the rocks, and I let the wind swoosh threw my hair.

This evening has taught me so much about myself. It has taught me you don't need a camera to remember what you did. Sometimes it's the memory in your mind that counts. This made think and feel all different emotions. I felt free. I felt like I didn't have to worry about anything. I felt like I did not need to worry about people yelling or telling me what to do. I enjoyed not hearing cars on the street. I felt free. This moment was important to reconnect to myself; it gave me the opportunity for peace and quiet. This moment affected me because I have never felt so free and happy.

Sitting on the beach was one of my favorite moments I had in Israel. I have never felt so free. I felt like even though I was with people, in this moment of freedom I still felt like I was by myself. I will never forget this moment on the rocks. I will never forget the shells I found. I will never forget the waves crashing against the rocks. I will remember every moment. I will remember every detail. The waves, the shells, and me on the rocks.