The Five Places to be at YMG

As I may have mentioned earlier, there are essentially only five places to be at Ma'aleh Gilboa. Above is a map; below are some pictures and explanations. When you're done, you'll know Ma'aleh Gilboa almost as well as me! Almost.

1. Behold, the Beit Midrash, from the outside! Some of you may remember that I posted an internal shot back when I posted the Daily Schedule. This is it from the outside. Beautiful, no? The center of yeshiva life is this building: the yeshiva! Learning is a wonderful thing. And it's quite aesthetically pleasing, too.

[right] This is the Beit Midrash... from the inside! How ca-razy! You can see the ark on the far right, and in the front right you can see my spot (with the bright green English-Hebrew-Aramaic dictionary). Yes, I have already posted this photo, but can't you feel the learning going on? Doesn't it make you want to grab a book of Talmud and start reading words in an extinct language with no punctuation? Go! "Get your learn on!"

[also right] This is the Pinat Cafe, known in English as the Coffee Corner. The PK is in the Beit Midrash, just a short walk from the great halls of learning. Much consumption of coffee, tea, and bisquits go on here. A great place to take a quick break from learning.


1a. This is the Migdal, which means tower. As you can see, it is not much of a tower. The reasons that it is 1a and not 2 is that (a) it is right across from the BM, and (b) some shiurim go on in there. Other than that, not much can be said about it other than the view from the top is pretty cool.



2. This is the Chadar Ochel. The building's English name, "the lunchroom," is a misnomer, since all three meals of the day, breakfast and dinner included, are consumed here. Cucumbers are eaten here, with great gusto, at least twice a day, and the hearty lunches give energy to get the yeshiva student through the day without feeling hungry. And to the right is, of course, the inside of the Chadar, which I'm sure you remember having seen earlier, also on the Daily Schedule entry.

3. Of course, where would we be without our Laundry Building. Well, I guess we would be smelling really bad, and that's not even including the nearby refet. You only really stop by to pick up or drop off clothes; never engage in conversation, either with laundrylady Chagit or anyone else who happens to be there. The inside really isn't that interesting, hence, the lack of washing machine photos (though if you really want one, it can be arranged). At the Laundry, it is always a plus when you get back an even number of socks.



4. When sitting day and night in the Beit Midrash gets tiresome, you might want to do some excercise. Thank goodness for the Gym! Yes, the tile-floored ex-warehouse where pigeons roost, leaving obstacles for the fast-break--running athlete. The games start late at night, usually 11ish, and can go until 1:30, sometimes. Five on five, people waiting on the sidelines and calling "three minutes left!"-- oh, the memories. No wait, that was just tonight. But I digress. The main basketbal nights are Monday, Wednesday, and, on in Shabbats, Saturday. Now, keep in mind that when I say "nights," it is not only an accurate description, but also the reason why you can't really see the building in the picture.

5. And finally, when you feel like sleeping, reading, relaxing, watching a movie, or the occasional shower, what better place than the Pnimiot, or dorms. Each room has a three-person suite and four-person suite, with a connecting salon in between that includes a sofa, fridge, and sink. Each suite also has a bathroom, complete with toilet, shower, and door, as well as closet space, shelves, and a desk. I am in a room with Ilan and Josh (ALEPH DELTA MAO), and the adjoining suite houses Yishai Ratik, Eitan Moriah, Zev Reinman, and Yisrael Nir. Our building (pictured left) also has the all-important wireless internet. There are three buildings like this in all, though in the map above, only the foundations appear (map circa 2003). Also shown here is my corner of the room, which you might also remember from an earlier post.

Well, that's about it for the major places. Yes, there are minor places, like the water tower, the mo'adon (hall/shelter), the refet, the kibbutz synagogue, the office, and other fun places. But later, later. The hour is late here.

This blog entry is dedicated to Roni "Ronald" "Token Black Guy" "Rizzle" Cohen, because he was funny in my AP Euro Class (intentional or not), was my co-counselor at Rechov Yeladim and admires Ziva's leadership as much as I do, came to my house often on Shabbat and, most importantly, requested a dedication. That was easy.