My Chavrusah

My Chavrusah returns with his family to Israel tomorrow for his "Aliyah Bet".

They originally made aliyah in September, 2006, but have been back to the states for each of the past two summers while My Chavrusah was getting his masters. This time, they are returning for good, with no plans to spend any extended time back in galus.

(This, combined with the fact that OYS is returning, on the same flight, to The Mother Ship for shanah bet, is going to make tomorrow a difficult day indeed at Chez MoC).

My Chavrusah and I just finished Moed Katan. We made a siyum on Shabbos afternoon at Seudah Shlishit. (As one of my friends said, "little masechtas for little people").

We met a 5:45 a.m. each morning and learned for 45 minutes before the 6:30 minyan. What is especially noteworthy is that My Chavrusah continued to get up that early even after he finished his masters and could have slept in (a little; he still would have had to contend with two kids under the age of 3.5).

On Sundays, My Chavrusah and I changed gears (figuratively and literally). We davened at the YIW Vasikin minyan (starting as early as 4:58 a.m.), drove to the North Shore, and knocked off between 30 and 70 miles on our bikes. As the summer progressed, this entailed a greater degree of mesiras nefesh on his part since he was getting stronger and stronger and could have left me in the dust by the end of the summer).

This has been a very special summer for me. (As My Chavrusah said at the siyum: A special bond is forged between two men in Spandex shorts). I am going to miss My Chavrusah (and his wife and kids) more than I can say.