#BlogBOmer: Chesed B'Hod

Stilllllllllll behind. But that's okay. No, really. You're just stoked that I've written another blog post, right? (Right). We're technically in the midst of Week 5 right now (with our big celebration of Lag B'Omer around the corner!), but I'm still at Day 1 of Week 5, so we're concentrating on Chesed (Acts of loving-kindness) in the area of Hod (humility or even secret). I dedicate this particular blog post to someone who calls me a "sister from another mister" (and who I love ever so dearly!), to the lovely Lihi G.!

Look at that gorgeous girl!

Lihi is yet another Birthright buddy that Hillel International paired me up with in December 2013--and I'm ever so thankful that they did! From the moment we were paired up, we began emailing, chatting during trainings, planning out fun times, Skyping with our tour guide (shout out to Itay!), and scheming out what our night before the trip would look like! The first night in Lihi's apartment, I got a glimpse of what her chesed looked like: we created milim hayom (words of the day) that we thought would make all of our students laugh (and learn!), talked about Shabbat programming, burned CDs for the bus, and groaned about the fact that we would have to be up in about three hours (all the while Lihi was also packing and in between folding repeating "Magniv...magniv...magniv...."

Once the trip started, I was amazed by Lihi's passion, tenacity, and enthusiasm. Whether she was joking with students, dancing down the bus aisle, or flirting with salespeople in the shuk, Lihi had a smile and a kind word for everyone she met. She also has a fierce intellect, a sharp tongue, and a quick wit--but you don't get to realize that until you really spend time with her. Since I've met Lihi, she handles everything with such grace and humility; while she appreciates recognition for her own hard work, she is much more interested in publicizing the work of her students, fellow Israel Fellows, and peers. In fact, while she was IN Israel, she shared the #BlogBOmer challenge so that others might see it and join in. 

Everyone who meets Lihi gets to experience that secret (another definition for hod!) air of kindness and compassion that surrounds her--her love of life and adventure are contagious (even when you pair her with a risk-averse person like me!). I know that whether it's one-on-one at a conference or among thousands at an Israel mega-event, I am lucky to have gained yet another sister in my life, someone who will always look out for me and give me that secret push to succeed.