Thursday

Today has been a long day, so this entry will be briefer than the last few. I'll try to pick up some of the omissions later (after Shabbat). I'll give priority to things people ask about in comments.

The schedule is catching up with all of us. Some people are getting tense, to the point where after tonight's final class, when things had been somewhat rowdier than usual, we got a lecture on remaining respectful of the teachers. I think they really, really need to rethink some of their decisions for next year. Specifically: ( Read more... )

( our service )

( classes )

Today's services were both done well. The morning service was pretty traditional (as these things go) and was more formal than we've been tending toward, which is fitting for a day with a torah reading. The music in that service was very, very effective -- what was supposed to be majestic was very majestic, what was supposed to be meditative was very meditative, and so on. The kedusha was stunning, and that point was the closest I've felt to God all week.

Tonight's service was more mellow, which fits the end of a long day. (They couldn't have planned in advance for today's higher stress all around, but what timing!) They did a nice treatment of Hashkiveinu -- sang a melody that I need to learn (but have failed to retain) that covers the first sentence, then played quiet music while someone read the English translation of the prayer, and then finished with that melody again. Very nice treatment for a lullaby prayer.

Tomorrow: talmud, outreach (two sessions), Shabbat. I'm looking forward to Shabbat; I hope we're all able to relax. (There are classes on Saturday afternoon, but not all day.)

Oh, small-world moment: the sister of one of my classmates is someone I went to CMU with. ("With" as in actually knowing her, not just being in the same 1000-person class.)

quickie

Services went well. We made a few small mistakes, but overall things went well. I personally received many compliments on two things: my voice, and that I apparently exude spirituality. The latter came as a bit of a surprise; people said that watching me or just being around me helped them connect. Wow. What a compliment!

(Apparently some people also like my speaking voice. I don't -- or, at least, I don't like what I've heard on tape recordings. But that might be due to an association with an unliked relative who I sound a lot like. Shrug.)

Classes went well today. The second outreach session was about conversion and was fairly intimate (lots of people skipped it). It was neat, and I now have a copy of the CCAR guide for rabbis on this topic. Not that anyone in this program will be doing conversions, of course -- that's for rabbis -- but some people in this program might help counsel or teach would-be converts, and it's useful for that. (Well, I haven't opened it, but I suspect.) This is something I would like to be more involved with -- there's none so enthusiastic as the convert and all that. We'll see.

Time to go get ready for Shabbat. Next update sometime Sunday. (Hey, I said it was a quickie.)