Feeling Rabbinic

Most importantly, after spending LONG periods of time on the phone, we have our internet back. It turns out that we’re supposed to have a static IP address, but the cable company decided it would be fun to change it anyway. At least the tech guys spoke English!

On Tuesday night, I stayed up late to greet Saroj! A good friend from college and post-college in DC, Saroj had just finished her Birthright trip and extended her trip for a few days to visit me and have more time on her own in Jerusalem. Even though both of us were completely exhausted, we hadn’t seen each other in the more than six months since I left, so we stayed up far later than we intended, just talking and catching up. Unfortunately for furthering my tour guide skills, she was about to be on her own for a few days.

HUC decided to ease us back into school this semester. We had to be back at school this past Wednesday, but classes don’t start until Sunday. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday morning were spent in a colloquium discussing issues of Reform Judaism in America. Many people in the class, myself included, did not have high hopes for these few days. Happily, I was far wrong. In the last couple of days, it has finally felt like I am in rabbinic school! We spent our days listening to engaging speakers and discussing big issues in small groups. We talked about issues of Jewish affiliation, non-Jews in Jewish life, the past and future of Reform Judaism, and the formation and development of our own Jewish identities. In small groups, we discussed huge issues and discussion questions. What has been my most significant experience in shaping how I think about the meaning of being Jewish? Who has been the most significant influence on my Jewish development? How has Israel impacted my sense of Jewish identity? What are qualities that stand out in outstanding Jewish leaders we have known personally? How can non-affiliated Jews be encouraged to become part of Jewish life? How can non-Jews in Jewish families be integrated into the synagogue? Where is Reform Judaism in America headed? How can the increasing individuality of religion be combated by the synagogue community? I know that these questions may not sound that exciting to you, but for many of us here, it reminded us of why we came here in the first place, and it was hopefully a taste of at least some of what we will be doing when we get back to the program in the States. It may have been the first time this year that discussions from the classrooms spilled over into lunch time, dinner time, and other free time. It has really made us all think and get excited about our futures, and that has made me very happy!

The colloquium continued on Friday morning, which broke my usual Friday schedule of running errands in the morning and attempting productivity in the short afternoon before Shabbat. Instead I went to the end of colloquium in the morning and relaxed for the afternoon. Friday evening Saroj and I headed to HUC for student-led Shabbat services as a class with lots of visitors. The service was great. HUC does not hold Friday evening services most weeks, so my class scatters over Jerusalem, each of us attending the service we have grown accustomed to this year. For the last few weeks we have been on vacation. Friday evening, though, we gathered together at school for our own service, and it was really comforting. It was nice to be all together praying and celebrating Shabbat as a group, and I was definitely content for the moment to be exactly where I was.

After services, we were all going to different professors’ and administrators’ houses to be hosted for Shabbat dinner. Along with Saroj and a few of my classmates, I was heading to the home of one of the Hebrew teachers, a woman I had never met, although she will be teaching my class once a week this coming semester. I had heard that she was a tough teacher, but a great one, but nice with a great sense of humor outside of class. While I’m going to have to wait until Monday to validate the in-class part of that description, the other half is exactly right. We were warmly welcomed into her home, and had a delicious meal, learning that Jewish mothers are the same across the world. There was more food on the table than twice as many of us could have eaten, and she pressed containers of leftovers on all of us to take home. I have big tupperwares of chicken and potatoes and sweet potato soup in my refrigerator, and I’m kind of excited about it. The food was delicious! In addition to our hostess and fellow HUC students, her oldest son, out of the army for a week now, was there, and her daughter, who is currently in the army but serving in Jerusalem, was also there. The younger son is still in the army and wasn’t there. After dinner we stayed at the table, and then in the living room, talking for several hours. There were family stories about universal subjects: losing track of children (in amusement parks and at gas stations), traveling, and other things. We talked about school and told our teacher about how much we enjoyed the colloquium. We talked about Hebrew. We talked about differences between the United States and Israel, and since this family has spent time living in the US, they had some very interesting opinions! We talked about Reform Judaism in Israel, army life, and so much more. We finally all realized we were tired and should head home around 11, and our teacher even called the cab company for us, and handed us our bags of leftovers, and sent us on our way. It was a really fun evening, and very different from the usual routine!

Today, Saroj is exploring the Israel Museum and making one more visit to the Old City, and I’m having my last real lazy day of vacation, because I’m back to classes tomorrow. Have a good long weekend at home, and sleep a little bit extra for me!