I have a free minute so I will write.

Learning here has been a new experience. The basic philosophy seems to be, to throw us into the water, and hope that we can swim. In other words, they don't baby us here: they give us the chance to figure things out on our own, and to be on our own schedule. This can be very, very frustrating at times, though very, very rewarding when we actually figure something out.

We are currently studying Talmud in the morning, and various things, including Torah, Chassidus (lessons from old Chasidic Rabbis), and philosophy in the afternoons. Specifically, we are studying from the book of "Damages" in the Talmud, and are currently on the subject of conspiring witnesses. I know this sounds about as interesting as watching paint peel off the wall, but it is nice because I am learning, first of all, how to read the Talmud (ie it's in aramaic, and has lots of funny structural and grammatical assumptions that I don't know), and the implications of the decisions are much larger than they might seem (ie the moral and ethical implications of what the Rabbis say can apply to *much* larger ideas).

Either way, the weather here is perfect. You couldn't ask for better. It is warm, but not too warm. It's perpetually hanging around 72 degrees (fahrenheit). Tomorrow I will be going in to Jerusalem for the first time in six years, and I am quite excited to go back there.

Also, MCAT studying has been going well, and I am starting to write an essay for my apps. All I can say is, I realize why people are so afraid of this test: going over the practice tests has been murder. I'm still confident about them, though.

I hope everything is going well for all of you in the States, and I would love to hear from you if you get the chance.

Best,

Michael