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.
