Welcome Back, Hallway Kiddush

Dear Hallway Kiddush,

Back in January, our minyan was so sad when you abruptly stopped being part of our Shabbat minhag so we could instead go downstairs to the sanctuary at the end of our chapel service and greet Shaaray Tefila’s newest b’nai mitzvah and their families.

We missed the Manischewitz (yes, it’s true!), our schmoozing, and linking up to touch someone who was touching the challah before we recited haMotzi. Without these rituals that we all know and love, our Shabbat felt incomplete and…a little bit empty.

Thank goodness you’re back!

Now, we once again get to spend time with you each week and – if we want – also go downstairs to join the other part of the synagogue community. It helps to have a reserved row in the sanctuary, where we can sit until it’s time to ascend the bimah. And, it seems we’ve already started our own “downstairs minhag,” pointing out to each other young girls’ dresses whose hemlines are, as my grandmother would say, “up to her pupik,” and so tight around they can take only teeny-tiny steps. While we wait, it’s also interesting to see the families’ color choices for the yarmulkes. Having always enjoyed “assigning” names to particular hues, I dubbed yesterday’s yarmulkes “Shrek green,” with no malice intended. I call ’em like I see ’em -- and I love Shrek!

In any event, it’s nice to have you back and perhaps, with practice, we’ll get as comfortable with the downstairs part of our Shabbat as we are with the upstairs part.

Shavua tov…see you next week,
~ Jane.

Nine Great Things to Celebrate About Shabbat Sh’lach L’cha

The Jewish calendar traditionally includes four new year celebrations: Rosh HaShanah (1 Tishri),  Tu BiSh’vat (15 Sh’vat), Passover (15 Nisan), and the fiscal new year (1 Elul). 

In Reform congregations, there often is a fifth new year: July 1, the inaugural day for clergy in their new pulpits, otherwise known as Yom Hadash HaRav (and if I didn’t get the order or syntax of these Hebrew words quite right, I’m sure one of my rabbi and/or Hebrew-speaking friends will let me know -- and I'll fix them).

Welcoming the newest member of the clergy team, Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, and his wife, Elyssa, last night and this morning, coupled with the long Independence Day holiday weekend, made my own Shabbat feel infused with more than the usual joy and celebration. Here are nine things I enjoyed this Shabbat:

1. Watching the reenactment of conversations among the 12 spies, which was provided by 12 volunteers from last night’s congregation. 


2. Hearing the beautiful arrangement of Shehecheyanu, offered by the congregation's cantors at this special moment in the life of the Shaaray Tefila community.


3. Learning from my newest teacher, Rabbi Mosbacher, that, except for requests for peace, we don’t offer petitionary prayers on Shabbat – for the simple reason that God is resting, and so should we. 


4. Meeting Elyssa Mosbacher, only to have her say, “Jane Herman – I read your pieces all the time…and I recognize you from your photo.”


5. Singing “America the Beautiful” – much better than “The Star-Spangled Banner” -- as the service’s closing song.


6. Meeting Lori Greenberg at the oneg Shabbat and giving her a dollar bill to ensure her safe travel to Israel for her first visit there!


7. Wondering how some Jews can reconcile this despicable behavior – executed with yarmulke and tzitzit in place? – with the commandment from this week’s portion: to

“look at it [the fringe] and recall all the commandments of the Eternal and observe them, so you do not follow your heart and eyes in your lustful urge. Thus you shall be reminded to observe all My commandments and to be holy to your God.”

I didn’t have the chutzpah to ask the question in Torah study, but would like to know...


8. Basking in the glorious weather – and some rosé on the roof deck of my sister’s apartment building. Yes, sure, it rained last night (OK, it poured), but today dawned sunny, clear, and bright, with wonderfully low humidity and a perfect breeze.


9. Reading, writing, and resting. (’Rithmatic isn’t my forte, and I generally don’t enjoy it, least of all on Shabbat!) 

What did you enjoy doing this Shabbat?

ICYMI: Ten Minutes of Torah

Photo by Flickr user @Sam Felder/CC

In case you missed it, I penned last Friday's Ten Minutes of Torah, which is produced and distributed by the URJ.

The emails, texts, and messages I've received in response have been incredible, and I'm planning to compile them into a round-up post in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned...

Shabbat Kedoshim: A Top 10 List

Photo:  www.judaicaneedlepoint.com

10.  Waiting for a bus for almost 20 minutes and still making it to services before Ma Tovu.

9.  Worshiping with my minyan community (including Dr. Tamara Eshkenazi, who is visiting on the east coast) -- despite the exceedingly noisy and wall-shaking construction in the street in front of Temple Shaaray Tefila.

8.  Singing Psalm 150 using Leonard Cohen's haunting melody.

7.  Hearing the Haftarah chanted and reading it round-robin style--as is our minhag--in English.

6.  An especially chewy cinnamon-raisin bagel during Torah study.

5.  Interesting, engaging discussion about talebearers, lashon hara employment references and sins of omission vs. sins of commission.

4.  A refreshing Dunkin' coconut iced coffee on the way home--with lots of ice and just the right amount of milk.

3.  Time to read today's newspaper leisurely.

2.  Time to continue to plow through Les Miserables and find out more about Fantine, Cosette and Monsieur Madeleine, who I think is a.k.a. Jean Valjean, but being only 175 pages into the tale, I'm not quite sure yet.  No spoilers, please...

1.  Time, inspiration and inclination to write and post this list before a little Shabbat menucha (Sabbath rest)!

Shabbat shalom!

#BlogExodus: Blessing

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

In her working life, my sister spends much of her time and energy designing, developing and delivering a proprietary training program that uses works of art to help professionals in a variety of fields--medicine, law, law enforcement, nursing, college administration, building management and others--enhance their observation and communications skills.  This past Friday evening, she found herself at the Aspen Wye River Conference Center for the launch of a multi-day gathering for young business leaders from three different countries: Israel, Egypt and Turkey.  Her training with the group was scheduled for most of the day on Saturday.

During the opening reception, while chatting with one of the Israelis about how he met his wife, she noted, after hearing his tale, that it was bashert.  As my sister tells it, when she used that Yiddishism, the guy nearly dropped his fork.

And so it was that a little while later, when the Israelis produced two candlesticks and a bottle of Manischewitz for an unscheduled and unscripted welcome to Shabbat, my sister--whose attachment to Judaism is a fraction of mine--was invited to recite the blessing over the candles.  

Although she probably hadn't even thought about it in years, I imagine it was like riding a bicycle and that as she struck the match, the words--engraved in her being--just rolled off her tongue: 

Baruch Atah Adonai, Eloheinu Melech haolam
Asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'zivanu l'hadlik ner shel Shabbat

Is it possible that by beginning the gathering with impromptu blessings over candles and wine, these Israelis--intentionally or not--set the tone for a positive and productive time together with their international cohorts?

We'll never know, of course, but I'd like to believe it is so.

Inspired by Ima on (and off) the Bima, this post is one in a series marking the days of the Hebrew month of Nisan leading up to Passover 5773.

Celebrations All Around?

This is a busy week for celebrations. 

Yesterday, June 14th, was Flag Day, which Adam Goodheart, in an essay about the holiday, calls “the runty stepchild among American national holidays.”  Perhaps for some, but definitely not for my family.  As has been his longtime custom, my father called me during the morning to offer "Flag Day greetings" and to recite the first and last stanzas of Henry Holcomb Bennett’s 1919 poem, The Flag Goes By:

Hats off!
Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums,
A flash of color beneath the sky:
Hats off!
The flag is passing by!

Blue and crimson and white it shines,
Over the steel-tipped, ordered lines.
Hats off! The colors before us fly;
But more than the flag is passing by.

Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great,
Fought to make and to save the State:
Weary marches and sinking ships;
Cheers of victory on dying lips;

Days of plenty and years of peace;
March of a strong land’s swift increase;
Equal justice, right and law,
Stately honor and reverend awe;

Sign of a nation, great and strong
To ward her people from foreign wrong:
Pride and glory and honor,—all
Live in the colors to stand or fall.

Hats off! Along the street there comes
A blare of bugles, a ruffle of drums;
And loyal hearts are beating high:
Hats off! The flag is passing by!

This Friday evening, Temple Emanu-El will celebrate Pride Shabbat.  Because this year’s observance falls just a few days before Father’s Day, I commend to you two different, but related articles:  the first from this week’s New York Times, and the second, a blog post written by my friend and colleague, Rabbi Victor Appell, who celebrates both Pride Shabbat and Father’s Day together with his family.

This year, as these holidays and celebrations converge in the same week, let us hope that someday soon, we will truly honor the promise of the Pledge of Allegiance with a guarantee of “liberty and justice for all.”

Letter to My Blog

Dear Blog,

I know you probably think I’ve abandoned you, but, of course, that’s not the case.  And, I know, too, that it’s no excuse that life is, once again, getting in the way of my keeping in touch with you, but truly, that’s the story.

The semester’s back in full swing and I’ve been busy reading an over-the-top amount of material for class each week and, for the last few days, researching and writing the first paper, which is due in about 10 days.  (Thankfully, I picked an extremely timely topic related to the gubernatorial election and there's plenty of useful, easily accessible material available right from my laptop.  Citing the sources, however, is still as time consuming as ever.)  Factor in that a colleague’s been on vacation for the last two weeks, and that I’m trying to sort through a bunch of medical “stuff” related to recently having tested positive for the BRCA2 genetic mutation (increasing my lifetime risk of breast and ovarian cancer) and you’ll understand—I hope—why I’ve been somewhat out of touch. 

Although it’s fairly mundane, I can tell you that yesterday morning I used the MTA’s new Select Bus Service on the M15 for the first time.  Much to my amazement, I went from 34th and First all the way up to 79th and First in a matter of 15 minutes.  On Third Avenue, that same trip can take double or even triple the time, even on a Saturday morning, so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to duck into Starbucks for a tall iced green tea before the Shabbat minyan at Shaaray Tefila.  The sense of community during the service seemed especially evident yesterday, and the discussion of Lech L’cha that followed the service could have gone on for hours.  This parasha—Ma’s favorite—is so jam packed with material relevant to our own time, it could take weeks to unpack it fully.  Next week, though, we'll move on to Vayeira.

In any event, except for class on Tuesday night and the twice-yearly memorial service at Haven Hospice on Thursday night, this week promises to be a bit calmer than the last few.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to be in touch again soon so we can catch up.  In the meantime, please know that I think of you often and miss you lots.  Take care of yourself and I'll see you soon!

xoxo,
JanetheWriter

Hello, Shabbat!

Last week at this time, a friend posted this message on Facebook:  "Hayom yom shishi!  Machar Shabbat!" which means:  "Today is Friday (the sixth day)!  Tomorrow is Shabbat!"

Indeed, tomorrow is Shabbat, and I am ready.

Shabbat shalom!