A Tale of Two Shuls (okay, 3 really)

So, I was thinking about the different shuls I have attended over my lifetime and how varied they are.

I grew up in the Reform movement.  We went to Temple Sinai for the High Holidays and I remember not being all that excited to go.  But the services were mostly in English and they were only about an hour and a half long.  I do remember liking the Rabbi, and I enjoyed my Bat Mitzvah lessons with both my tutor (Murray) and the Cantor.  I also remember disliking Hebrew and Religious School until my last year. I had decided that I did not want to continue after my Bat Mitzvah.

Then I got married and started attending my husband's family's shul.  The Lodzer Centre Congregation was founded by Holocaust survivors from the town of Lodz, Poland.  Matthew's Zaidy was a founding member and the family has been attending forever.

Now, on my journey, I have been advised by the Beit Din (the Jewish Court) to attend an Orthodox shul for a few weeks.  So, this brought me to "The Country Shul", where I spent last Shabbat (see previous post).

Here are some observations I have made.

At Temple Sinai, the only families we knew were the families we were already friends with. I liked the Rabbi, but he would probably not have known me had he run into me on the street. We never stayed for Kiddush after services, because we never went to a weekend service.

At Lodzer, the only family we know is our own and our girls' dentist, really.  The Rabbi hasn't a clue who we are, really.  The one time I stayed for Kiddush someone stole my seat, even though my jacket was on it and my daughter's belongings were on the table.

At the Country Shul, the Rabbi welcomed me the first service I attended.  We stayed for the Kiddush lunch and participated in celebrating a Bar Mitzvah.  The food was plentiful and someone made sure I had a seat with my daughter.

Now, that's not to say any one is worse or better than the other, but it's interesting that in just one visit, I felt more comfortable than I have in  nearly 10 years in my husband's family shul.

Now, I should have gone to shul today, it being the Sabbath, but it was snowing and I was absolutely exhausted.  I feel bad because I was looking forward to it.

And that's that for today.

Sabbath at Aish

So, yesterday I went to my first Shabbos morning service at the Aish near my house - and walked.  Samantha came with me, Jordana stayed home with Matthew who had taken the day off (and still only got half a day off).  Samantha enjoyed the service mostly because there was a Bar Mitzvah and we got to throw candies at the Bar Mitzvah boy over the Mechitza (divider that divides the women from the men).

Once upon a time, I thought the Mechitza was a patriarchal way of keeping women out of men's view.  Now I understand the meaning of the Michitza is two-fold.  It's so both men and women can focus on their prayers and their devotion to G-d without the distraction of one's spouse.  When you're in services you are not supposed to focus on anything besides your prayers (and making sure your children are behaving).

During his sermon, the Rabbi made sure to stand at the front where he could be seen by both the men and the women. And, he also introduced me to the congregation.  During the services, several of the women helped me find where we were in the service.  I felt so welcome and comfortable.

After services Samantha and I stayed for the Kiddush lunch, which consisted of cholent (a bean stew, slow cooked overnight, as we are not supposed to 'light a fire' during the Sabbath), kugel, which I assume was also 'slow-cooked', but was burnt a bit - still yummy, though!, cookies, cake and because of the Bar Mitzvah, a chocolate "tfillin" cake (tfillin, are phylacteries - small boxes with leather straps that are bound around the arm and the head of men during specific prayers - morning prayers, usually. The boxes have prayer scrolls in them).

After lunch, we helped tidy up, then Samantha and I walked home.  Not once did my little girl complain about the walk (it was windy, cold and snowy).  She enjoyed the service, got to have some of the candy we threw at the Bar Mitzvah boy, and enjoyed meeting the Rabbi and Rebbitzin's daughter Ayelet. (she's 2).  I am looking forward to next Saturday's services!

Skirts!!

Okay, so as serious as my journey is, there is some funny stuff to report.

For example - anyone who knows me knows that I never, ever voluntarily wore skirts (right, Mom??).  Even my husband recently made a comment about how much I used to loathe wearing skirts.  I don't think it was the skirt so much as the nylons underneath. I hate nylons.  I still do.

Now for the funny part - every day, I dress in a skirt.  By choice.  Part of living a kosher life is to dress modestly.  Cover my hair, wear long sleeves and a long (below the knees) skirt. I recently went through my closet and pulled out all my tight (as in no longer fit) shirts and my pants.  Okay, I kept some sweat pants, but that's for around the house and when I'm not expecting anyone over.  And to sleep in. But in public, unless I'm in my scrubs for work, I'm in a skirt.

So, yes - me, Gayla, loather of dress clothes, wears a skirt and usually a sweater or long sleeved t-shirt.

You can laugh now.
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Okay - you can stop now.

The Path is LONG

So, recently I met with a Rabbi from Aish HaTorah to discuss this journey I'm on (I've spoken with several Rabbis).  He asked me whether or not I knew for certain that my birth mother was not Jewish.  So, when my parents were here on Thursday for dinner, I asked, point blank - did they know, or could they help me find out? Turns out they knew - and she definitely was not Jewish.  So I will need to go through the conversion as a convert, even though I was raised Jewish.

The Rabbi introduced me to another Rabbi at Aish, who runs the Country Shul (or will, or something along those lines), and this Rabbi introduced me to his wife.  I felt so warm and welcome and comfortable with these people, that I am certain that this is the right path for me to be following.

I am doing a lot of reading, and have started reading "Gateways to Judaism" by Rabbi Blacher (please excuse me if my spelling is wrong - I don't have the book beside me. I'll edit it later.  I am also reading "How to Keep Kosher" by Lise Stern. It's very interesting as it discusses the laws but doesn't go TOO much into detail.

My kitchen isn't 100% kosher (it's not even 50% kosher yet), but it's getting there.  We buy kosher food, we separate milk and meat, so we're on the way.

This journey is going to be long, but it's going to be so worth it in the end.