So I really have to thank Avishai for introducing me Elroy, my most gracious host for this past Friday night Shabbos feast. I had a great time and made some nice new friends. It was the first time I had the fortune to spend a Shabbos meal at a table surrounded entirely by gay men, and I must say I like the feeling of fitting in. The five of us spanned a religious spectrum from strongly Orthodox-identified to non-Jewish, and the languages spoken around the table included Hebrew, English, and Dutch. So we formed a nice little rainbow. Elroy's cooking was amazing; elegant, rich, and delicious. One of us facetiously asked why he wasn't married already.

In the morning, I davened at the kotel and had lunch with Rebecca and Avraham and Ashira. Ashira never fails to astound and delight me with the way she shifts moods between bubbling, independent liveliness and focused, intense fascination with all things mechanical. After a nice long nap, I finished off Shabbos with a visit to the Brodt's overcrowded-as-usual Seudat Shlishit table. I thought I was overdue for a visit, and it was nice to catch up.