Jan 16, 2009

Shabbat Shalom!

The Sabbath cometh, and Tuvia and I are going to the Orthodox shul and then to the home of some members of the shul for a Shabbat dinner. It'll be my first Shabbat dinner in a while, and I'm looking forward to it. It sounds like there'll be three families plus Tuvia and I, so we'll see how it goes. They're of the knowledge that post-dinner we have to drive back to Manchester, since the Orthodox shul is nowhere near where we live. It's one of those things that you just do, until you can work out the details. The family has offered their upstairs, which it appears is completely private -- own room, own bathroom, etc. -- for future Shabbats if we want to stay for a full Shabbos experience. Next week, back on campus, chances are I'll be staying on campus and doing Shabbos up Chabad style, and maybe even for the next few weeks since I have a Friday afternoon class and getting into Manchester to be with Tuvia on Shabbos won't be possible. You bend, you work, you make it happen.

In the meantime, I offer you a video. It's really more a slideshow than a video, since I have lots of pictures of the Bat Mitzvah ceremony. There was one fellow filming it all, but I can't remember who he was, so until I get that video, this is the best I can do. I think that my facial expressions and reactions will probably display the experience better than I can in words at this point. It was emotional, spiritual, and overpowering -- being on top of a mountain where people lived, people died, and people have come and prayed for years and years. Enjoy, and Shabbat Shalom!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Chavi - who's ceremony was it?

Beautiful slideshow by the way?

Rachel

Anonymous said...

I'm really glad you posted this. I am "supposed to" visit an orthodox synagogue at some point, and while we're not talking an impossible walk, it's at least four miles and very cold out! Do people ever just drive on Shabbat to the Orthodox shul?

(astridiana from twitter)

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

@Rachel I guess I might not have been clear ... it was mine, as well as about 15 other people. All the people in the last group shot are those who were bar and bat mitzvahed. It was a group ceremony by two chabad rabbis on Masada.

@Kerri Curious why you're visiting? :D We explained to the shul's rabbi, who explained to our dinner hosts, that we live an entire city over, so we don't have the option to walk and he understood that it was fine. Oftentimes people will walk to shul and hitch a ride with someone else, but to be honest they say you're better to not go to shul rather than to break the shabbos by driving. It's a delicate balance, but depending on where you're at, it's all good -- drive!

Anonymous said...

Thanks! The rabbi I've been meeting with at a reform shul is pushing me to visit conservative and orthodox synagogues. I may just wait until spring gets closer. I don't want to offend anyone by driving when their custom is to absolutely not drive.

By the way, the "Boycott Israel" video is brilliant!

Chaviva Gordon-Bennett said...

@Kerri Isn't it!? It's so amusing how much Israel has done, and how little many people realize that.

As for the shul/driving thing, it's quite kind of you to have that focus on respect. For us? It's all we can do unless we pick up and move. When I'm on campus I just walk to the rabbi's house and it works. Unfortunately, we don't even live within walking distance of ANY shuls, which blows my mind and is pretty frustrating. When I lived in Chicago I was a 2-mile hike to the Orthodox shul, and I enjoyed it (though, I didn't start going till late-Winter/Spring, so the weather thing wasn't an issue really).

Anonymous said...

Aah. that's what I thought, but I wsn't sure. Wonderful!
Rachel

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