Tag Archives: shul

Shul Experiences

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Before I publish this post, I must say that I am completely consumed by the escalating situation in Israel.  I feel funny posting about anything else.  So, because mitzvos help protect us, these are good Psalms to say at a time like this:  130, 121, 83, 20, 91 & 143.  Also, check out the Shmira Project, where you can sign up to sponsor a solider, not with money, but with good deeds, prayer and Torah learning.  It just takes a minute, but makes an incalculable difference.  

The synagogue we attend (or, in my circles, the shul you daven at), can be a potent thing.  It “says” something about you.  You go to “this” synagogue, or “that” one.  It’s kind of annoying, but where you daven can categorize you.  Asking someone where they daven is kind of shorthand for asking them what they stand for.  Which camp do they align themselves with?  What type of person are they?

This reminds me of a joke:

A man is stranded on a desert island for years and years and years.  When his rescuers arrive, he gives them a little tour.  There are two structures, side-by-side, and he’s asked what they are.

“This is the synagogue I go to,” he replies with a note of pride.

“And what’s the other building?”

“That’s the synagogue I wouldn’t set foot in if you paid me.”

Right.

Since embarking on my religious journey nearly nine years ago, I’ve spent time in a wide array of synagogues.  Actually, too many synagogues to write about in one post, so I’m going to focus on five in this post, not necessarily chronologically.

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Torah Tuesdays: Going in the Right Direction

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The Ten Commandments, In SVG

Image via Wikipedia

Okay, no pun intended, though I am decidedly on the “right” wing of Judaism.  Hahaha.

Really, this post is about assessing what direction you (or me) are moving in. In seminary I learned that if you’re not moving up spiritually, you’re moving down.  There is no such thing as a plateau.  But, hey, no pressure, right?

This past Shabbos, I had the luxury of davening.  In shul.  With other people.  As the mother of two little boys, this does not happen often.  So I tried to really focus  on the words of the tefillah, to really concentrate on what I was saying (not so simple, actually).

In the text of the prayer commonly known as “Ashrei,” there is one verse in particular which is supposed to be said with “intense concentration.”  This verse, in English, reads

“He opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing.”

Now, there are certainly various opinions on what one could focus on during the recitation of this verse.  Personally, I focus on the concept that in whatever direction a person desire to go, Hashem will make the path available, so to speak.  So, if I really, really desire to grow spiritually, Hashem will present me with choices that will move me in that direction.  And, if the opposite (G-d forbid), different choices will appear.

So, when I was davening this past Shabbos, and I came to this verse, I thought to myself, which direction am I going?  What are my choices saying about my desires?  And how can I make choices that are going to move me in the right direction?

The holiday of Shavuous is fast approaching (it’s next week!).  This is holiday where we celebrate the giving of the Torah, where the Jewish people accepted the mitzvos, sight unseen.  This seems like an appropriate time of year to assess where we’re holding as far as observance of the mitzvos goes.

If you say Ashrei, what do you think about when saying that verse? 

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Things that went right at the bris, or, Gratitude

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My parents left last Sunday.  We made the bris on Monday.  Though I tried, at the brilliant suggestion of a friend, to find a mature, responsible girl who could assist me in getting out the door Monday morning, I did not meet with success.  After an entire day filled with phone calls (who knew so many details went into these events?  I don’t remember it being so hectic with Little Man.  Of course, my mom and mother-in-law were both in town for his bris), I gave up on that battle plan.

Understandably, I was a little nervous about making it to shul on time, and keeping my wits about me.  My husband was going to be in shul for at least an hour before I needed to be there, so he wouldn’t be around to help.  Yikes!

Well, I’m not sure why I merited such Divine Assistance, but here’s a list of things which went right that day:

  • I was able to wake up and be coherent (wow!)
  • the baby nursed well, at the most convenient time and was sated
  • I was able to clean myself up (also wow!)
  • Little Man let me change AND dress him without a fight (total miracle)
  • we made it to the car without incident
  • traffic was light and I could get out of my driveway without waiting
  • there was a parking spot RIGHT in front of the shul (TOTAL TOTAL miracle)
  • just as I was discovering the side door to the shul was locked, a man coming to daven and let me in
  • Little Man went right upstairs on his own
  • We made it just in time.

The only things which didn’t go as smoothly were my lack of pictures and leaving the special bris outfit in the car.  The mohel assured me that no one was going to see the outfit anyways, so Really Little Man entered the covenant in his blue sleeper.  Stylish.

So, a potentially stressful and unpleasant morning became a paradigm of gratitude to G-d for assistance from above.  Yay!