Marlowe, Rachelle, Ethan, and I left around 4:45pm to start walking toward Kol Haneshama, a reform congregation nearby, which lends (or rents, who knows) space in their building once a month to a minyan (prayer group) called Nava Tehila which calls itself Jewish Renewal, and includes beautiful music during their services (http://www.navatehila.org/35897/Nava-Tehila).
During our walk there, I felt one single raindrop. I have not felt a single raindrop the entire time I've been here - quite a difference of weather from the east coast of America. It rains all the freekin' time over there! So this one raindrop gave me some hope that it might actually even rain more! It's also parshat (the weekly Torah portion) NOACH! Noah's Ark! So how fitting would it be if it rained! Well we walk the whole way there and I only felt the one raindrop.
Kabbalat Shabbat (the service that welcomes the Sabbath, and takes place before the 3rd daily prayer which is the evening prayer) is a series of psalms and songs which are meant to prepare us for the welcoming of the Sabbath. Normally, Kabbalat Shabbat takes anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes, with the Ma'ariv (evening) service lasting between 15-20 minutes. Of course these times all depend on the congregation and style of worship. Bottom line, Nava Tehila's Kabbalat Shabbat service last two full hours. And surprisingly (to a girl who really enjoys the singing but NOT strict observance and religion and spirituality), it was beautiful and enjoyable. The music, the kehilla/community, just came together so nicely. Some people got up and danced, some people looked around like they had been dropped off on another planet, it was quite the array of worshipers.
I was hungry, and overheating, so I asked if anyone else wanted to come back to the apartments with me; Marlowe was ready. As we walked back I was hoping to feel some more raindrops again but didn't. It may or may not have rained during the 5-7pm window of music and prayer, but being inside the building the whole time, we didn't really notice. We came back and I started cooking - pasta - with the new pesto of course! About a half an hour after we got home, Rachelle and Ethan got back. I guess Ma'ariv was the expected half an hour, unlike Kabbalat Shabbat. They enjoyed it; now it's time for dinner! So once again we all gather in apartment 7, bringing chairs, dishes, and wine from all over the building, and everyone bringing their own food, whether only for themselves or for sharing. The table was too crowded to include my food, so I leave the pasta in my kitchen next door and make an announcement, "If anyone wants pasta pesto, just go get it yourself." Haha. I make others work for their food. Another very enjoyable evening, Shabbat dinner, great group of people all crowded in the apartment, and everyone slowly but surely disperses to their own dwellings. I meet mom and dad for our weekly Skype date, only to discover that mom's computer got the blue screen of death! We try it again. Blue screen of death comes back. We resort to the phone. My rental has a great speaker phone! Awesome!
Another Friday night Shabbat in the books here in J-town.
And then there's Saturday! Great to sleep in to 11:30 for a few reasons. 1. It's great to sleep in to 11:30. Plain and simple. 2. It means I have less to blog about because I'm not writing about my dreams here.
I actually had to set my alarm the night before (unlike many Saturdays, back home AND here), so that I could wake up in time to get to Megan Goldman's for Shabbat lunch at 12:30. I didn't know exactly where the apartment was, but I knew it would be a 10-15 minute walk and then find the entrance to her very confusing building. So I wanted to leave ample time for getting lost and finding my way. I bumped into a few people outside her building who were also going to the same lunch, including Josh, from Bnei IKAR, the service we went to last week. So he remembered meeting me briefly, I gave him a refresher on my name, and during our walk up the stairs, he tried guessing which rabbinic institution I was studying with this year. "Ha, that'll be funny." After he guessed a few I told him that I was part of WUJS, and then he remembered. We all walked in together; I was thrilled to see Megan and start meeting her other friends who were there! Most of them were rabbinical students (or the spouse or partner of one), one couple was very religious and friends of Megan from undergrad, and Megan's friend Becky and I were the non rabbinical non orthodox people at the table. Becky was so friendly and interested in hearing about the WUJS program so when we sat down at the table together, we sat next to each other. Yay for new friends.
Lunch itself was fantastic - Megan really went all out and had some great salads including a cabbage salad (one of my faves), and a stir fry with tofu, and she even took it one step further and made me my own tofu! Everyone else happily had chicken, and even though I told her I'd be fine with that, she went over the top as a wonderful hostess, so thanks Megan! Wine, food, and dessert - the works. The conversation should be mentioned too - the company at the table was great and I talked to a few new people which is always good in my book. I talked with Becky the most of anyone, because we were sitting next to each other, but I did meet the folks across the table and next to me a bit. Just getting to know new people is fun for me.
Megan also offered the opportunity for anyone to give a few sentences or thoughts about Parshat Noah, before we closed the meal for benching/the grace after the meal. I put my hand up immediately (what, like we're in class? I don't know...I just did it) and said, "Well, I'd like to go first because almost everyone else at this table is studying to be a rabbi so I certainly don't want to follow any of you. My thoughts are pretty superficial right now." Some people giggled and others said, "C'mon you don't have to be a rabbinical student to offer some insight" which of course I agree with, but, I just made an effort to make a quick joke and then I proceeded to mention my insight, which was that it actually DID rain on Parshat Noah (the night before! there were puddles everywhere!) and after not having rain for so long in Israel, it's quite a blessing. It's not an insignificant thought, but, probably not up there with some of these guys. So I was happy to make my comment which did lead into a short response and conversation about rain (go me)!
I was one of the last few people to leave, and consequently, spoke a bit more to the people who were on the other side of the table from me. Hillary is studying at JTS as is her boyfriend Dan, so I spoke with Hillary for a few minutes (based on the statement, "You look really familiar, do I know you?" - how Jewish geography of us) and once she and Dan left, it was just Megan, me and the boys. Turns out Josh and Steven, an HUC rabbinical student, are both pretty big sports fans. Josh is from Vancouver so although he likes hockey, he is NOT a Rangers fan (ok it was 16 years ago, get over it) and Steven is both a Giants AND a Rangers fan. Yay more people in Jerusalem who like the same sports teams as me!!! I told Steven I usually go to the Lion's Den on Sundays to watch football, and that this week I would be going. He said he'd probably be there too, so I'd have another sports fan to enjoy the game with. We all head home in separate directions and another Shabbat comes to a close.
Priorities, priorities - there's a Rangers game tonight! Unfortunately, it starts at 1am for me because of the time difference. However, all dedicated fans must make some sacrifices and I am fully prepared to make some sacrifices this hockey season. I stayed up WAY too late watching the game (and the Rangers won 6-3 against Buffalo - WOOOOO!) and I'm including a picture of the stream I watched on my computer.
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