SWITCHING TO WORDPRESS

I have decided to try out Wordpress for a little while and see how it goes. I hope you all will continue to follow me there: http://alyssawolff91.wordpress.com/ 

America, the Beautiful

After almost 3 weeks of being back in America, I have realized a few things:
 1) I really missed my family. When you live on the other side of the world and are constantly struggling to find a time to FaceTime because of the 7 hour time difference, it is really comforting to be in the same time zone as the ones you love.
2) I have completely taken for granted the mentors that I had while I was at IU. It is so nice to be able to sit back down and talk face-to-face with the people who I trust the most. I knew I was lucky, but I never knew just how lucky I was until I was able to visit everyone at IU this past weekend for Simchas Torah and Shabbat.
3) It's not quite as hard as some of us may think to keep 100% kosher in Hog Heaven and Shrimp City. Until this visit home, I had continued to eat cold dairy and parve out at restaurants, but I decided that this time I was going all in. I was a little nervous about coming home with my favorite restaurants from my childhood staring me in the eyes and taunting me with their delicious smells. But I have found that I don't care nearly as much as I thought I would. In fact, I've been able to sit with others while they eat some of my favorites, and I just know that I'm not going to eat it. It's not even a question in my mind. I really davened for this to be easy for me, and Hashem has really helped me thus far.
4) Some things in America are just not the same in Israel. While some people may be ashamed to admit it, I'm not. I have really missed some of the physicalities that are just better quality in the States. For example, I have enjoyed getting my nails done at a reasonable price, showering with my shoes off, sleeping in a real, comfortable bed, using my favorite scent of laundry detergent, having my body temperature be at a comfortable level at all times of day, and simply being able to pick up and drive ten minutes and go to Target. Some times it really is the little things that make us feel like we are at home. When I travel back to Israel in about a week, I have decided to bring some of the things that make me feel "at home" back to "the homeland" with me. Some of these things include: a 2-month supply of Cliff Bars and Luna Bars, 6-month supply of Sensodyne toothpaste (since it costs roughly $15 a tube in Israel), endless supplies of body wash, face wash, shampoo, and conditioner, and I am even considering bringing a tub of laundry detergent (there's nothing like that home-laundry, out of the dryer (don't be fooled, I do not have a dryer in Israel) smell that reminds you of being at home).
5) I am really grateful for the learning that I have been doing in Israel this summer. It's been weird not learning Torah and being in a Torah environment for the past few weeks. I do find myself feeding off of the d'var Torahs at the Shabbos table more in America, since I have not been submerged in Torah day in and day out.
Overall, I am so thankful that I was able to come home for my cousin's bar mitzvah (he did a great job, btw). It has been really amazing to see my family, friends, and remind myself of what it was like to live in my own house for a little while. I'm really looking forward to heading back to the homeland soon and seeing what Israel has up it's sleeve for me in the next few months. Until then, XOXO Frum Girl.
*****I forgot to mention that when I go back to Israel, I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT MISS having to change the radio station channel when Miley Cyrus' song "Wrecking Ball" comes on. I used to be a BIG Miley fan. Like I saw the Hannah Montana Concert 3D movie a total of seven times in theaters. But as a frum girl, or any woman for that matter, I have a really hard time seeing her outbursts of what she likes to call "breaking free from Hannah". Anyways, that was just an aside. XOXO, unproud ex-Miley fan

Back to the Real World

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, but I have somewhat taken a hiatus from social media. I officially deactivated my Facebook for the time being, so if you want to know when I post, please follow me on Twitter @alwolff09. It's been a real detox not using my Facebook the past couple of weeks. Who knows if I'll get it back in the future, but to all of you junkies out there (LOL) it IS possible to kick the habit.
After 4 months in the greatest country in the world, I am heading back to America the beautiful for 3 weeks for a family simcha! I'm sooo excited to see my family, and spend time enjoying the physicalities of life. I'll be spending Sukkos in Tenafly, NJ and then in Bloomington, IN, and BOY I cannot wait to go back to Btown and visit everyone! This trip is for sure going to be a BIG test for me. I am sticking to my guns this time, and I am really not going to eat in non-Kosher restaurants, bli neder. This will probably be the hardest thing for me, because we all know how much I love to eat, but I am looking forward to, b"H, passing this test.
Things I am looking forward to at home:
1. seeing my family!
2. seeing my friends!
3. eating meat
4. SHOPPING
5. getting manis and pedis
6. taking a shower without my shoes on
7. CUDDLING WITH MY FAVORITE MUFFIN, JERSEY!!!
8. being able to come back to Israel in just 3 weeks!
That's all for now. Next time I post I'll be across the ocean enjoying my time with family and friends. I hope everyone had a really meaningful Yom Kippur, I sure did in a place called Moshav Matityahu, which is a moshav that is close to Kiryat Sefer, for those who know the area. It was VERY HOT, but the shul was nice and air conditioned, and the davening was really special. Now with Sukkos coming quickly, it's time to build those sukkahs (all night around my apartment last night), and get into a simchadik mindset in this really happy and exciting time!

The King is in the Field

As we are really close to the Day of Judgement, beginning this coming Wednesday, it has been a mad dash to the finish line to do all of the teshuva I have been working on for the past year, and specifically in the past month in sem. I am incredibly fortunate to be able to be in such a place of Torah knowledge during this crucial time in the year. Although last year I thought I did a pretty good job of learning from sefarim on my own and listening to online shiurim, it pales in comparison to the work I have been able to accomplish and the knowledge I have acquired just this past month of Elul in seminary.

In current events, a huge MAZAL TOV to my good friends Mel and Avi on 1. getting married and 2. making aliyah, which was there true "teenage dream". In fact, Katy Perry's song was about THEM! It's great to have them in Israel with me, and I can't wait to be with them on this journey! There is a teshuva, tefilah, and tzedakah mobile that drives around town playing music to get everyone in the Rosh Hashanah spirit, so that's pretty interesting and thrilling. And to top off the weekly news, the man who works in the Brooklyn Bake Shop knows me, and tells me to buy more to bring to my fellow Kentuckians. Maybe that means I go there too much? Just doing my job in supporting the local ma and pop shops! Anywaaays...:)
Two weeks ago, I got up at 4:30 am and took an organized bus to the city of Chevron, where Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Sarah, Rivka, and Leah are buried. It really was a holy and amazing experience to be at this special place, where such tzaddikim and the foundations of the Jewish religion are buried. My favorite part was the fact that Sarah and Avraham are buried right next to each other. There is a separate room in which both of their kevarim rest. It's a pretty vast and grandiose place, but the fact that two people who loved each other so much, and had such a good marriage for such a long time were buried right next to each other really says a lot to me.
We've been learning a lot about brachos in halacha class, which has led me to search out the different kinds of food that we have talked about. For example, all I want to eat are chocolate covered raisins because I now know that the bracha is ha'etz instead of shehakol. Don't worry, I finally found them today and bought enough to last me through Rosh Hashanah. I am also the proud new owner of "The Marvelous Midos Machine" CD, which is exactly as it may sound...a Jewish children's CD that teaches about good midos and being a mensch. I plan to learn all the words to the songs so I can impress little Jewish children everywhere with not only my BEAUTIFUL voice, but also my intense knowledge of good midos. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
As the Day of Judgement comes, when our next year will be inscribed in, please G-d, the Book of Life, it is a very intense time of teshuva and working on ourselves. On this day, everything that will happen to us in the coming year, who will live, who will die, our wealth, our health, will be inscribed by H-shem. In these last few days, it is our last chance to crown G-d as our King and ask for forgiveness so that we can change any bad decrees that we may receive, chas v'shalom. Although a lot of the things that I say may seem to be a joke or sarcastic, this time is crucial, and I can only continue to daven that I have done enough this past year to be written in the Book of Life for the upcoming one.
While some of you may think that I am a little crazy for having a mild freak out before the New Year instead of simply buying my apples and honey, please realize that whatever you believe in, whether it be an ultimate Truth or something else, that this time of year especially is really just a time to work on ourselves, and as good people, this is what we should be striving to do all year long. While the Torah helps us out a little bit by dedicating this entire month to teshuva and self-introspection, it doesn't mean we can stop as soon as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur end. We should write down small resolutions and continuously work on them all year long until they no longer need to be conscientiously worked on. My hope for all of us is that we can all work on ourselves to make the world a better and more peaceful place. Ketivah Vachatimah Tovah, may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year.

The "glory days"

In the middle of the night I had a revelation that I couldn't help but write down. Before I went to sleep less than 12 hours ago, I found myself nostalgic and longing for my college days. For those of you who have been reading since the beginning of my journey, you'll know that Bloomington, IN is not the most conducive environment for someone who is / is trying to become Torah observant. But as I saw everyone's posts, tweets, etc about moving back to Btown and going back to the glory of old IU, I felt a pit in my stomach that had me longing for that time in my life again. I'm not going to deny the fact that I had a GREAT time at college. Those are some memories I will carry with me forever. Some of the most life-changing things happened to me while I was in college. Before bed, my yetzer hara had me believing that my old, college lifestyle was what I was longing to have back in my life. However, in the middle of the night I woke up realizing that the longing is not for the parties, bars, and traif restaurants. During Elul and this time of teshuva, I think it's only fitting that my yetzer hara would try to trick me. Of course I miss my friends and the relationships I made at IU, but I still have those in my life. I didn't have to leave those behind. I am just that much more grateful now for the opportunity Hashem has given me to be in seminary learning Torah during this important time of year. So for now, I am grateful to say my daily tehillim and learn about Akeidas Yitzchak. My "glory days" are just beginning, and I will always have fond memories when I think about the events and moments in my life that have lead me to where I am today. Have a great day!

Elul 2013

We are now in the middle of Elul zman in school, and the 8:30 am - 5:30 pm schooldays are full of Chumash: we are currently learning about the Akeidas Yitzchak otherwise known as the binding of Yitzchak on Mt. Moriah. This parsha is read during Rosh Hashanah so we are learning it beforehand in school. For those who aren't familiar, the Akeidas Yitzchak is when Hashem told Avraham to take Yitzchak and offer him as a sacrifice. Of course, you may be thinking, "Why are those crazy Jews sacrificing humans?!" Don't be fooled by Hashem's seemingly outrageous command to Avraham, it was/is/always will be against Torah law to not only sacrifice a human being, but also kill anyone in general (see 10 Commandments for further info...lol). The real lesson we are taught through this parsha is that Avraham had so much yiras Shamayim (awe of Hashem) that he was willing to sacrifice his own son for the sake of Hashem's name. What's even greater, is that until Yitzchak and Avraham were on the mountain alone, Yitzchak simply thought he was going to help Avraham sacrifice a lamb. When Yitzchak found out that HE was the sacrifice, he willingly layed down and allowed Avraham to bind him with the wood. ***Please note: Yitzchak was not actually harmed during this parsha.*** We learn from our forefathers that especially during this time of teshuva and working on ourselves, we should always be constantly striving to have yiras Shamayim and to always trust Hashem and His ways. 

In addition to Chumash, we are also learning a lot of Mussar. The Mussar Movement was founded in the 1800's by a famous rabbi, Rabbi Yisroel Salanter. The word mussar itself means ethics or values, and through R' Yisroel Salanter's teachings we learn how to improve ourselves from within. Since this time before Yom HaDin (Day of Judgement), is all about improving ourselves, mussar is a great thing to learn at this time. Every morning we have breakfast class with the head of our school. We are currently learning "Discourse on Free Will" by Rav Eliyahu Dessler, who I could take up an entire post just speaking about his greatness and teachings. What's even more exciting than learning an essay from "Strive for the Truth" is that this particular essay happens to be the very first thing I ever learned (torah-wise) with my Rabbi from Indiana. I feel like learning this essay again really signifies the full circle I have made, and will continue to make in my Jewish learning.

Thursday night I went with two of my friends to the Jerusalem International Arts Festival. There were booths from all over the world, and also from Israel, displaying their work. For all the Louisvillians, it was basically like the St. James Art Fair, so it was pretty awesome. It may have even been better than that because there was kosher food that I could eat! They had live music including some of my southern favorites: Country Roads and Blowing in the Wind (circa 8th grade music class #throwback). My two friends I was with are from Canada and South Africa, and they thought I was very weird for jammin' to the music. You can take the girl out of the South, but you can't take the South out of the girl. I found the artist I have been searching all over Jerusalem to find his work, and I got my finishing piece (for the moment anyway) to hang over my bed. It's the Etz Chaim (Tree of Life), and it is SO fabulous. 

This Shabbos, I went to one of the tutors from Shearim in Ramat Eshkol. Her beds and pillows were 100% American and comfier than a 5 star hotel. The salads were first class, and the dessert was homemade but I thought it came from a bakery. Let's just say I was wined and dined this Shabbos, and I'm not complaining. In addition, her kids were super cute, and we had a really great time. 

I am now going to call my cute, baby cousin to wish her a happy 4th Birthday and go to sleep. I have to really get my rest because the days are long, and I have to be on my A-game. I hope you're all having a meaningful Elul, and are surviving the summer heat wherever you are in the world. Lailah tov! 

xoxo, Frum Girl

Bein Hazmanim 5773

Well if anyone has been through some serious technological malfunctions in the past couple of weeks it is this girl. After finally getting my internet to work after making numerous trips to Cellcom, I am back in the blogging business. A lot has happened these past two weeks. We have had half days in school because it is a time called Bein Hazmanim which basically means in between the times. It's just a little break for mostly yeshiva boys before the intense month of El Ul (Rosh Hashanah, etc) which is coming up very quickly.
I spent a really nice Shabbat in Ramat Bet Shemesh with my friends that I spoke of in the last post. I got to see a family I am friends with from Indianapolis, who just made Aliyah, so it was nice to see a little bit of home as well. I also got to meet Jamie Geller, author of Joy of Kosher cookbook and also the star of some videos for Nefesh B'Nefesh. It was pretty cool to meet such a down to earth celebrity from the frum world. I even got an informal invite to come for Shabbos, so I will hopefully be taking her up on that invitation in the near future!
Last Shabbos, I went to the family that I am close to in the Chassidish community of Belz in Kiryat Belz. The davening at the Belz shul in Yerushalayim is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. The singing of L'cha Dodi is incredible and really moving. We went to the Rebbe's tisch after the meal and didn't get home until 2 in the morning, and it wasn't even over! The Belz community tends to do everything later and longer than most. I even got a bracha from the Belzer Rebbetzin. It was a really special Shabbos with some really special people.
Shearim took a tiyul to the beach in Herzliya. It was amazing! The waves were grade A and so fun to be in. Imagine what you think of when you hear that there are tons of sea lions on a rock in the middle of the ocean. Now imagine that those sea lions are frum women with floating tubes and they are all in a small confined area of the ocean. This is what the beach was like. It was crazy. The waves were so big that they had to confine all the women to one small area, but that didn't stop us from having a great time. I got a delicious ice cream (obvs) and got some good color on my face. I didn't get quite as burned as last time, BH. I think it's due to the fact that I was sporting my unbelievably fashionable tznius bathing suit.
Today I did something I never thought I would ever do in Israel. I got my hair cut and my Keratin re-applied. I had to negotiate with the hair dresser so that he didn't over-charge me. I ended up paying the same I pay in America, which is fine by me. One thing I didn't take into account is the fact that I can't wash my hair for three days or wear it in a ponytail, and it is 1000000 degrees outside. We'll see how this pans out over the next 72 hours. It's only been 6 hours and I'm already way overheated. Tonight I went to a great little restaurant on Yaffo called Village Green with my friend from home. I have managed to go to the King George area two days in a row now without buying anything! It's a true miracle. For anyone who doesn't know, I have a slight shopping problem that I've been working, since I was 12, to kick. Shout out to my Dad for sticking by me all these years :)
As for news on the homefront aka Louisville aka Bloomington. The last piece of senior year aka the best bed ever has finally been moved out of 321 N Lincoln :( Dad and Jersey trekked up to 321 for the last (crying) time to move out my bed. Dad was pretty bummed he didn't run into Mr. Rogers (our cute, old landlord who loves nice Jewish girls). Maybe it was actually me who was bummed Dad didn't run into Mr. Rogers?? Anyway, my fond memories of the good times with great friends in 321 will stay with my for the rest of my life. As the final key was turned in, I have to face that 321 N Lincoln is now another closed chapter in my life (actually crying). I will forever be grateful for the memories made in that house, and I am so fortunate that I have friends that will last way beyond the walls of our little green house on the corner.


So as Bein Hazmanim comes to a close, I am now looking forward to one of my Rebbetzins coming back to the country tomorrow (!), my bestie coming back from Montreal to make Aliyah (woo!), getting back on a normal schedule, and getting ready for hopefully the most inspiring El Ul I've ever had. As El Ul is the month leading up to the High Holy Days, we are meant to be working on our Yiras Shamayim among all of our other middos we are trying to work on before the Day of Judgement when the Book of Life is sealed on Yom Kippur. I'm sure I will have a much better explanation of the month of El Ul once I get back into the seminary swing of things this Tuesday. I've heard this is one of the best times to be in Israel, so I am gearing up for the month ahead. Have a Chodesh Tov y'all!