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.