My Israel Experience...so far

I'm in Israel for a short while for work and it's an interesting and different experience so far.

Where do I start from? Hmm. Sabbath. It's a big deal here in a country with majority of it's population being Jewish. Of course there are the minority religions comprising Islam, Christianity and others.

On Saturday I had a chat with a middle aged man who started by telling me NO pictures on Sabbath. We talked about the small caps and hats Jewish men wear. Traditionally it signifies the recognition that God is above oneself. The small cap or kippa as is called in hebrew he said is a sign of faith, humility and obedience of God's commandment. He wore a white kippa underneath this big black hat which he showed me. "You can wear both or just one", he said to me. It's believed Jewish men wear it during prayer and these days all day to distinguish themselves from non-Jews. I learned from him the reason was no longer just about religion. He told me some men wore it to cover their developing baldness or bad hair and others who had no humility (arrogant) still wore it to give the impression they did. Some Jewish men however did not wear the kippa. "Nobody is forced to do anything," he noted.. My dear friend who was gracious to educate me summed it all up by saying, "at the end of the day it's between God and you".

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