Pinch me, I believe I must have been dreaming. Four wonderful days in the United Kingdom, visiting Manchester and London, was absolutely "gorgeous", to use a colloquial expression! The people were so warm, the community exemplifies hachnasas orchim and vibrance; I was so inspired and enthused, not to mention privileged, to meet so many exceptional people. Thank you, England, for such a life-changing experience.

One unexpected treat was the soul-stirring view of the Grenadier Guards, parading down the street in front of Buckingham Palace, followed by...Queen Elizabeth herself! We were close enough to the soldiers to touch their furry hats (did you know they have a whitish horn on the side, embedded in the fur?). I have to say it filled me with such a sense of awe and majesty that this year, on Rosh Hashanah, I will be able to recall that sensation and have a tiny inkling of "malchus", royalty. It is always amazing to me to realize how G-d has created the world such that everything, down to the minutest detail, can be a springboard for spiritual reflection. We only need to find it. There's the rub.