As I was walking out of my apartment on Friday for some last-minute Shabbat purchases someone on a bicycle went whizzing past me and did a sudden U-turn to pull up next to me. It turned out to be a gentleman that I know from my shul in the US. He lives in the US for 4 months a year and the rest of the time here in Jerusalem. It turns out that he lives only a few blocks from here. I spent some time with him before Shabbat and will undoubtedly see more of him during my visit.
I am trying to arrange to go out to the settlement with him the weekend after next. If we do that, it should prove to be a most interesting time as he is a Torah scholar and is also sensitive to the “energies” around people. My friend at the yeshuv (the settlement) and one of her friends there are also very sensitive to this. (I offer the following as an example (skeptics, just get over it and read on): My friend at the yeshuv said that she can often get a sense of who someone was in a previous life. She said that she doesn’t tell people and most people don’t want to know. I thought it would be interesting, so asked her. She said that her first impression, before she know that I was Jewish and well before she had any idea that I could sing, was that I was a Levite singing in the Temple. My friend here in town said he can also sense things. When I asked him, without revealing what I had already been told, he said exactly the same thing: I was a Levite singing in the Temple.)
For Shabbat I had a nice dinner with my flat mate, and then on Saturday went to the Conservative shul for services. I had a nice conversation with someone on the way back to the apartment, and was invited to go to his home for Shabbat lunch next time I see him there.
Sunday, as usual, was spent practicing. I will be doing the same today (Monday) and have a cantorial class late this afternoon.
I am looking forward to visiting my family in the US in a couple of weeks. I will have been away from them for almost exactly 6 months and am starting to get excited about going home, even if it is only for a few weeks. It promises to be a wonderful time and I will, at a minimum, get to see my wife and children.
More later, time to practice. Mi-mi-mi-mi-mi
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