Back in the USA

My last Shabbat and the last few days in Israel were spent with friends. I cannot thank them enough for all the love and support that they have shown me since my arrival some 15 months ago. I will not name anyone here as I have tried to keep all references to individuals (by name) out of the blog. Suffice it to say that without their support this journey would have been a MUCH more difficult one.

I also had classes every day, including on the day that I left. This, of course, made my schedule over the last few days quite hectic. At the same time it likely opened up opportunities for me to make money with what I have learned so far that will hopefully allow me to continue this journey to its final conclusion.

I have returned to the US with no definite plans to return to Israel. It has taken me since arriving late Wednesday night until today (Monday) to get used to the time change. It seems to be taking a little longer to get used to American food/water. Enough said on that one.

I am not going to end this blog at this point as my journey is not complete. I DO, however, want to put in writing my feelings at this juncture.

First let me tell you about the past few days ………

After arriving home Wednesday night and being re-united with my wife and one of my sons, we went directly to a restaurant for a late dinner. It is a family tradition to go to this particular restaurant right before someone leaves and immediately upon someone’s return from a trip. (Having been away for 9 consecutive months DEFINITELY qualifies.)

I basically spent all of Thursday sleeping. Friday was somewhat better in that I was able to stay awake long enough to get to Shabbat services in the evening. On Saturday morning I made it to services and was asked to lead the Shacharit portion of the service. I was honored to do so and my leadership was well received. I was also given an aliya (being called up to the Torah to recite blessings before and after the reading) as well as the opportunity to recite the gomel blessing (thanking Hashem for keeping me out of danger and returning me safely to my home). I basically slept the remainder of Saturday after having lunch.

Sunday was another uneventful day filled with much sleep. We did manage to make it out for lunch, and I was beginning to acclimate to the time change by then. Today I finally feel that I am adjusted. I managed to get up early and stay up all day.

Things are a bit hectic here as I am still settling back into the swing of things. It will take a little while to get used to not just running whenever I feel like it and to get into a routine that will let me get in the practice I need while being productive around the house and getting done those pesky chores that have a tendency to build up when you are not around to take care of them. Sounds like normal life, but I have not been living that way for the past 15 months.

As far as my training is concerned, I am not done yet. There is still much that I need to learn. I am, however, pleased with the progress that I have made. In 15 months I have completed about 3.5 years of curriculum in the cantorial field. If I had to guess, I would estimate that another 6-9 months in Israel would allow me to complete the journey. I do not have any plans at this point to continue in Israel, but there is individual instruction available in the US that I may be able to take advantage of. While it is my desire to return to Israel to complete my training, I do NOT want to go alone. As a result I will have to find other ways to complete the journey and/or means to take my wife with me for the final training. Whether this is realistic or not remains to be seen, and I am making no plans at this time.

I am not ready to comment about leaving Israel at this time. As I have indicated before, I have mixed feelings about it and I would like to let this settle in for a little bit before commenting. I WILL say, however, that I miss Jerusalem and the spiritual energies that abound there. More on this at another time.

The High Holy Days begin Wednesday evening, and I am looking forward to enjoying the services at our shul here at home. I have been trained to lead these services and therefore expect that they will be more meaningful to me this year. That is partly due to the fact that, in addition to learning the melodies, I had to learn the meaning of all the prayers and was given insight into them by my instructor.

The Beginning of the End

Today is the day before my last Shabbat here in Israel. As seems to have been the case lately, my time since my last post has been very full.

Most of my time has been spent learning and practicing Torah trope (the melodies used to vocalize the weekly Torah reading). I have been working on parshat Bereishit, the very first portion in the Bible. This portion uses most, but not all, of the standard trope combinations. I have mainly been learning the name and melody of each trope, which ones go together, which trope ends a group of trope symbols, which ones require a stop and etcetera. Once I get all that, then it is a matter of applying the melody indicated by the trope to the Hebrew words. This can get a little tricky as some of the words are shorter than the assigned melody and some words have no trope symbol at all. Fun stuff.

Tomorrow I have another class and we will start working on the exceptions to the trope rules and on portions that use different melodies than what is written in the main text of the Bible. An example of this is the Ten Commandments. There are trope indications in the text, but these are used for individual study only and a completely different set of trope is used when the Ten Commandments are read. There are also special sections where the trope symbols used actually have different melodies, and I will be learning these as well.

That will be followed by learning the Haftorah trope. These use the exact same symbols but, naturally, then have different melodies associated with them. I think the sages did this on purpose just to confuse us.

At any rate, once I master these I will be able to teach bar/bat mitzvah students their Torah and Haftorah portions. I find this fulfilling, as it will enable me to help our children (not mine personally, don’t be getting any crazy ideas) to prepare for the ritual of moving into adulthood in the Jewish world.

I have gotten more feedback from my performance at my friend’s wedding as well. There are now several people that said they want to fly me back here to do that blessing at their children’s wedding. (I’m NOT holding my breath on that one, but it is nice to know that they really enjoyed it.) I also heard from a rabbi who was there for the wedding. He came into my class yesterday and was telling my instructor how beautiful it was.

My class schedule before I leave is quite heavy. I have class tomorrow (Friday), then again on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Considering that Tuesday is my last day in Israel that is pretty aggressive.

I have also been running around looking for various items of Judaica, and so far have acquired a new kittle (a white ”jacket” used during prayer (especially if you are leading) on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). I have also been looking for a new Tallit (prayer shawl), and have that narrowed down as well. I hope to buy that on Sunday.

I will be having Shabbat dinner with friends tomorrow evening, and a wonderful dinner with my flat-mate on Saturday night. Sunday is dinner with a friend at a restaurant on King George. Beyond that is anybody’s guess.

As the countdown towards returning home continues, I find that I am getting more anxious. I REALLY want to be with my wife and family. I have not seen them since early January and that is WAY too long. At the same time, I also REALLY do not want to leave Jerusalem. I love it here, and have made a few very good friends. This is also, without a doubt, the most spiritual place on the planet. It turns out that I am a little bit sensitive to the energies here, and feel a very strong connection to the land. That connection is strongest at the Kotel (Western Wall), where the feeling of Hashem’s presence is palpable to me.

I expect to have some serious adjustments to make upon my return. While here I have become much more observant from a ritualistic and daily prayer perspective. I have kept completely kosher and have kept the Sabbath much more so than before I came. There will have to be compromises made, and I suspect that will take some time to work out and get comfortable with both for me and for my family.

I would be horribly remiss if I did not heap huge amounts of praise on my wife at this point. Her strength and support has been the cornerstone of my own endurance. I have been away from home for 15 months (with a brief respite in December) and cannot express my thanks and awe for the fortitude that she has shown over this time.

Back in Class

I started classes again this week. I am now working on the trope (cantillation marks) used to chant from the Torah. (For those of you that do not know this, there are no cantillation marks or vowels in the torah itself. The cantillation must be learned and memorized for each reading.)

Once I have learned the Torah trope, I will be learning the Haftorah trope.

The combination of these skills with what I have already learned will allow me to prepare students for their bar/bat mitzvah. I will also be able to read from the Torah and read Haftorah as needed.

I am going to be spending this Shabbat at a friend’s home in a neighborhood in the city. I have only 2 Shabatot (plural for Shabbat) remaining before I leave Israel and head back home and have several places that I would like to spend them at. Naturally, more places than I have time for.

While I am very much looking forward to being with my wife and family, I am also saddened at the thought of leaving this holy place. I will be writing more on this in the days to come.

An Israeli Wedding

I spent last Shabbat at my apartment here in Jerusalem and will be doing the same this weekend.

A friend of mine here in Israel got married this week. The service and celebration were held at a winery in “the territories” just northwest of Jerusalem. Interestingly enough, while I had absolutely no idea where we were going based on the name, when we got there I know exactly where we were. On the way out to the settlement that I usually go to there is a fork in the road just before arriving. The settlement is to the left and the winery we went to for the wedding is to the right. I was less than 2 kilometers (as the crow flies) from my friends’ homes!

I am told that this was a typical Israeli wedding, and will describe the sequence of events for you. For those of you familiar with an Orthodox Jewish wedding, this will not sound very different.

Before sunset everyone in attendance went to the Beit T’fellah (literally: house of prayer) where the afternoon service is held. This is then followed by the evening prayers after sundown. Once this was done, everyone went to a reception where beverages and appetizers were served. The reception lasted for about an hour (in order to allow time for those not wishing to attend services to arrive and also to allow time for the bride, groom, Rabbi and witnesses to gather for the formal signing of the Katuba (marriage contract). This was followed by the wedding ceremony, which was held outside.

Here in Israel the actual ceremony is quite short. There was a processional where the wedding party is escorted to the Chupa (literally a canopy: A Jewish wedding takes place under a canopy that is open on all sides).

After the groom arrived at the chupa the Rabbi recites a blessing. This is followed by the bride's enterance. As she approaches, the groom takes one or two steps towards her in greeting. When she reaches the groom the bride circles him seven times prior to taking her place at his right side.

(When they arrive at the chuppah, the bride [and family] circle the groom seven times. One of the many explanations for these seven circuits is that they represent a seven-fold bond which marriage will establish between the bride and groom and their families. This act also recalls the seven times that the Tefillin straps are wrapped around a man's arm. Just as a man binds himself in love to G-d, so is his bond in love to his bride. The number seven represents the completion of the seven day process in which earth was created. During these seven days, the earth revolved on its axis seven times. Since marriage reenacts the creative process, the Kallah's encirclement symbolizes the repetition of these seven earthly rotations.

Also, on the day of his wedding, the groom is compared to a king. Just as the king is encircled by his legion, the groom is to be encircled by his bridal entourage. When the bride has finished encircling the groom, she stands at his right, as the Psalmist states, "at the right hand does the queen stand.")

Once the wedding party is under the Chupa the Katuba is publically ready. (Note that since the groom’s family are from New Zealand there was some amount of translation being done to English. The Rabbi threw in a few comments (jokes, actually) during this reading.

Following the reading there are a series of blessing recited. These are known as Sheva Brachos (literally: seven blessings). These blessings specifically praise Hashem and seek blessing for the new couple. These blessings are given under the Chupa by the Rabbi and/or other people.

The seventh blessing is customarily reserved for a Cantor. I was given the honor of presenting this blessing under the Chupa. This was my first formal function where it was planned that I would participate. I cannot express my gratitude to the bride and groom for allowing me to share their simcha (literally: gladness, but has the implication of a festive occasion) in such a personal and intimate way.

Once the blessings were completed the service was over and everyone went into the winery for dinner. I was somewhat surprised that the seating was mixed instead of separate for men and women. After dinner there was a band and dancing. This WAS separate for men and women and was quite enthusiastic. All-in-all it was a wonderful affair.

Shabbat at a Settlement

I spent last Shabbat out at a settlement a little distance from Jerusalem. I have been to this settlement before, but this time stayed with people that I had not met before. This time I got there a couple hours early, so a friend of mine who lives there took me on a tour of the area. The settlement itself is not that large, but there is a tremendous amount of history in the surrounding hills.

The thing that really brought home to me how much this settlement is in the “Jewish heartland” was one particular place that we saw. In prophets (1 Samuel 14:1-22) it is described how Jonathan, son of Saul, went alone with his armor-bearer to attack the Philistines. The geography is clearly defined, including town names that still exist today, and includes a section of land described as “a rocky precipice on one side and a rocky precipice on the other side” (in 1 Samuel 14:4). It is between these precipices that Jonathan climbed. They are clearly visible and only a few kilometers from the settlement I was at. Reading the entire story will reveal that the Ark of the Covenant was at that location. To be standing on the land upon which such momentous events took place creates a real sense of awe.

As usual when at a religious settlement, things get very quiet about 45 minutes before Shabbat starts. There is absolutely no street traffic and, since I was out in the Judean hills, there was no city noise at all. The atmosphere is one of total peace.

I was at a friend’s home for all 3 Shabbat meals. As usual the conversation was lively and stimulating.

On the cantorial front, my instructor is now on vacation until 1 September. We will resume classes at that time and work on the Mussaf portion of the Yom Kippur service as well as the Neila service. I will also be learning trope for chanting Torah and Haftarah.

I will be attending a wedding for a friend of mine here in Jerusalem next week and will be honored to perform the 7th blessing for them. More on that after it happens. This will be my only wedding attended here and I am looking forward to it. I am led to understand that they are quite the affair here, and quite different as well.

An "Exciting" Month

It has now been a month since my last post, and I apologize for the long lag of information. Unfortunately I was sick for most of the month so there was not much going on here.

My cantorial classes continued, although I missed a few and made them up once I recovered from my illness. I now have the entire Rosh Hashanah liturgy and am practicing to perfect it (as much as I can). I will be starting on the Yom Kippur pieces that I do not already have shortly and expect to have that completed before I return home late next month.

I had relatives come here for a bar- and bat mitzvah. It was wonderful to spend time with family. The service, led by my cousin (a Rabbi in the US) was held at the Southern end of the Western Wall. There were a number of members of his congregation that came on the trip, with their children participating in the service as well.

A friend of mine here is getting married in 2 weeks, and I volunteered to perform the 7th blessing, which is normally reserved for the cantor to do. I am still learning it, but this should be no problem. I found it interesting that my friend, who by trade is a sound man and has worked hundreds of weddings, has never heard this particular melody.

In other news, the PC that I brought with me died a slow and painful death. I did manage to get a full backup before it died completely. (Now it will not even turn on. Sounds like a boat anchor to me, but I can still use some of the parts that are good to fix a PC I have at home.)

I had to purchase a replacement PC. Doing that here in Israel, of course, means that you get the Hebrew version of Windows. Getting the language switched back to English and then loading all of my programs and data onto it was quite a challenge. In actuality I am not totally finished as some of the programs are at home, but I have done what was needed for the remainder of my time here. (Yes, there are still some messages that come up in Hebrew. I guess I have an incentive to learn those terms!)

I have just over a month before returning home. While I am anxious to be with my wife and family again, I will also miss Jerusalem. I have been residing in the holiest city on the planet for over 14 months and have gotten used to the spiritual energies that abound here, especially at the Kotel. I suspect that I will miss the overwhelming feeling and the certain knowledge that Hashem is present all around me at all times.

While I will not have completed what I set out to do, I have covered a significant amount of ground. I hope to be able to complete the rest of my training soon. I will have more on this in my final entry from Israel.

I know I have previously posted pictures from the area where demonstrations in support of Gilad Shalit are held. I took one yesterday and just wanted to share it with you. It is addressed to the Prime Minister (Benyamin Netanyahu, also called BB) and is posted directly across from the exit of his compound.

It has been a full month since my last post but I have very little to report. I have been sick for most of the month and spent a great deal of the time sleeping.

I have managed to go to several classes during this time, and things are progressing rapidly along this front. Last week I started going to class regularly again. Some of the lessons are double in order to make up for the times that I missed, and new pieces are coming at me rapidly. With only about 2 months to go there is still a lot of material to learn so my days are now filled with practice.

I have not yet found a shul in the US to lead services at for this year, but am continuing to search. In the mean time, my instructor is trying to secure a position for me here in Israel. While the position would not pay much and the place is not a big shul, it would give me the experience that would help me get a better position next year. More on this will be posted as things progress.

I had a wonderful Shabbat this week. It started on Friday night with services and dinner with a cousin who is in Jerusalem for the next couple weeks. I cannot express how grateful I am to actually have family here! There will be 2 more cousins coming soon as well and I look forward to seeing them as well.

Lunch Saturday was with a local friend. They will be moving back to the US in a few weeks, but we will be able to stay in touch via Skype until I return to the US in September as well.

Another friend that I met here, a fellow cantorial student, moved back to the US this past week. She has a part time pulpit about 300 miles from my home, and at some point I hope to go there to see and hear her.

Speaking of home, I have been thinking more and more about returning to the US myself. That will occur in about 2 months, and I cannot express how much I am looking forward to being with my wife and family again. While I certainly will miss being here in Jerusalem, my overwhelming desire to be with my wife makes my pending departure and return home something that I look forward to.

I said at the beginning of this blog that I recognized that my absence would be difficult on me but even harder on my wife. I cannot possibly put into words the strength she has shown or my gratitude to her for allowing me to follow this dream.