Day 115 (backlog 2 of 2)

The main reason we spend Shabbat where we did was to see if that's somewhere we might like to live. It is. We both feel comfortable there, both religiously and socially, housing is affordable, and the view is gorgeous. It's also about a 15 minute drive from Jerusalem, so it has the small-town feel along with the convenience of a city. 

We'll see what ends up happening in terms of work, but finding somewhere we think we'd like to live is a big step, too. Because we are so (a)typically "American out-of-town frum" as I like to describe our brand of Orthodoxy, my largest concern about moving to Israel was the question, "Can we find a community where we feel comfortable religiously? Does such a community exist?" Where we spent Shabbos was in no way American, but it still felt right for us: the community is not completely religiously homogeneous (though in fairness, it's not nearly as diverse as anywhere we'd live in America), and the people are warm and welcoming. 

Again, I need to find a job before we make any decisions, but quite frankly, if we found one community that feels right for us, we can find another one. As I recall hearing from Rabbi Lawrence Keleman, natural events are not unique; if it happened once it will happen again. But hey, hopefully I will find a job near there, and we can get to the business of settling in the land, for we did not come here to dwell.