Friday, September 26, 2008

Friday at the shuk

Today I accompanied two friends from Switzerland in a food buying expedition in the Machaneh Yehuda shuk. They did well, considering the market was packed with frenzied pre-Shabbat, pre-Rosh HaShana (New Year) shoppers.
Many professional and amateur photographers were taking pictures and movies of the pre-holiday crowd.
This one looked tired and bored, waiting for her partner to bring the big video camera back to the tripod.
A wagon is about all you can park and unload on this side of narrow busy Agrippas Street. Pita and bread were being delivered to the little place where we sat on low stools outside and ate felafel.
This guy was riding his little crate-moving machine down the street while both eating AND giving advice to a woman driver how to get her car out of a tight parking place.
Chabadniks were out in force. The tablecloth says the Hebrew word for "Messiah." Here passing Jews, usually those "of a secular persuasion," can don tfillin (phylacteries) and tallit (prayer shawl), read some prayers from the prayerbook, say the blessing over the wine, give charity, and do other such mitzvot.
And here is the little poster (as I explained a week ago here) which is posted in bus stops every Friday. It says, inter alia, that candle-lighting time and entrance time of the Sabbath tonight is 5:55 p.m. Shabbat ends tomorrow at 7:06 p.m. Rosh HaShanah begins at 5:51 p.m. on September 29 and ends at 7:02 p.m. October 1. Next week Shabbat beings at 5:45 and ends at 6:57. Times obviously depend on when the sun sets.
Here we go, entering the Sabbath, that "sanctuary in time." And on time. Shabbat shalom, Sabbath peace, to everyone!

12 comments:

  1. I always learn so much when I visit you. I enjoyed these photos and also the ones of the Kidron valley in an earlier post.

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  2. Felafel, yumo, brings back memories. Sabbath Peace to you my friend.

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  3. Sabbath peace to you too my friend!
    *hugs*

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  4. I always enjoy your posts. Your photography is nice and your narrative always fits.

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  5. Hello Dina !
    Nice photos, and nice "promenade" with You...

    Shabbath Peace to You Dina...

    See You later.

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  6. Another great glimpse in everyday Jerusalem Life!
    Thank you for sharing
    Cheers, Klaus

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  7. I always enjoy your posts, Dina. Learning is an added plus! It's wonderful to visit you.

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  8. i love the atmosphere of a good shuk (in our way of talking, the agora)

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  9. oh,Thank you Dina,I compeletly agree with Petrea
    Ramadan is going to be finished as well,
    Shabbath Peace to You
    think of us in your prayers,too ;)

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  10. Thanks for sharing this information. It's very interesting. I often read about tfillin and tallit, but didn't know what it was.
    So on Monday your New Year begins!

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  11. Dina, I also learn so much reading your blog.
    Excuse me to answer, maybe it can seem stupid, just to learn more, what do you mean by Chabadnik ?
    Is it traditionalist religious?

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  12. beautiful Dina
    How profound to have the word messiah written across the table cloth.That would be the meal's blessing.

    Thanks for another beautiful message from Jerusalem.

    shabbat shalom.

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