I am now one of Israel's working class! I start tomorrow. Part of me is happy; and part of me is dreading having to go to work every day again. The past ten weeks is the longest I've ever gone in my adult life without having a job. Even when my kids were born I was working. It's been nice!

The job itself will be pretty good. By Israeli standards, the pay isn't bad, and they'll buy me a monthly bus pass. The commute will be the hard part. I really, truly don't like riding on buses, and I'll be getting on at the 2nd bus stop here in Ramat Beit Shemesh and getting off at the last bus stop in Yerushalayim on the #417 - an hour each way. And the bus stop, contrary to what I originally thought, is not so close to the office. Especially when it's 95 degrees. For those in the know, it's off Shimon Rokeach which is off Shmuel Hanavi in the Geulah neighborhood. My hours will be 9:30 am - 3:30 pm which sounds good, except I'll have to leave for the bus at 8:15 to catch the 8:30, and after work I'll have to catch the 4:00 to get home hopefully by 5, unless traffic is bad, which it probably will be since the bus winds all through Yerushalayim before heading for the highway. David said they were on the lookout for a suicide bomber today, and stopping cars on their way into the city. That explains why there was a security guard at all the bus stops.

You can look up yad-ezra.com on the internet to check it out. We supply 15,000 meals a day to low income families all over the country. And the office is on a side street; more of an alley, really, in a rundown building The rabbi who started it gave up his job and home and doesn't take a salary; he and his wife and 9 kids live upstairs from the office. I think he owns a gas station somewhere and that's his only income. Just one more incredible person in this incredible country of people who do so much chesed. It's like sitting on the bus when a young mother with a stroller and a baby and maybe another child or two struggles to get on the bus, and a guy without a kippah and spiked hair jumps up to take the stroller from her to help her onto the bus. Or kids that jump up to let adults take their seats. Someone might get on the bus with their hands full of packages or kids and they just go find a seat somewhere - but they ALWAYS make their way back up to the driver to pay the fare. And the bus driver might lay his hand on the horn for a good five minutes if another car gets in his way, but he'll sure be patient when an older person or someone with crutches takes a long time to make their way to a seat.

I'm sure there's crime in Israel, somewhere (Tel Aviv - big city?), but from where we sit, you mostly only see the kindnesses people do for others. It's such a blessing to live among people who really take to heart "do unto unto others the way you would want them to do unto you."

Got to go make my lunch for tomorrow!