High Holidays, Take One

Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem... woooooow.

Let's rewind.
First, I left on classes on Thursday with a "farewell, L'Shana Tova" toast. It was great... pomegranates, apples and honey, cards. All wonderful (see pics).





By Friday morning I was on a bus on the way to Jerusalem. When we got there, we explored the old city for a while, got lost, and found our way into what I thought was an exit--it was actually the entrance into the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We made note of that, and went on our merry way to the Reformed Rabbinical school just a ten minute walk away from one of the most Holy Christian Sites in Jerusalem.

My friend, Rossanna, and I stayed with two first-year HUC students, one cantorial and the other rabbinical. They are just four years older than I am, leading services, and doing exactly what I want to be doing in four years. AND, they are two of the NICEST, FUNNIEST, and WELCOMING people we've met since we've been here.

Friday night we went to services at HUC where we watched Amanda be one of the three cantors, and had the service be lead by "the first female rabbi ever ordained in Israel, ordained in 1992." It was great, a reformed service was JUST what the doctor prescribed for me.
Saturday morning we woke up and went to Hallel, a reformed synagogue in Jerusalem with a female Israeli Rabbi and a Male Cantor who was born in America. Everything was in Hebrew but I was happy to be able to follow along...a combination of improved Hebrew and memorization of the Holy Day prayers. Then lunch with the rabbinical students at one of their apartments, then to Tashlich. This is the ritual where Jews throw breadcrumbs into a running body of water to "cast away their sins," and we looked back on our actions month by month to remember the good times and bad times that occurred in the year. Ending the ceremony with "Eli Eli," I left the park feeling refreshed and ready for my two-hour "Shabbat nap," yes they do exist, and then dinner with the rabbinical students again.
Sunday morning, second day of Rosh Hashana, Rossana and I woke up and went to "The Great Synagogue," a modern orthodox synagogue in the center of Jerusalem. What was cool about this was that their was one Chazzan, Cantor, who lead a 12-male choir and literally read from the Machzor (prayerbook) the entire time. That was the service, and the music sent chills up and down my spine.
After that we went to meet our friend Josh, after dancing in the RAIN ...IT RAINED... and explored the Old City again. First Rossana and I went to the Kotel, Western Wall, and then all of us went back to the Church, this time on purpose. It was a very good experience, and with it being the last day of Ramadan and us in the Arab quarter, we got a taste of all religions!

After a New Year/Shabbat/weekend like that, I can't even explain how weird it is to be back in the desert. But we are going back up to stay with our gracious hosts on Sunday night and I can barely contain my enthusiasm. I even have an excited face just for Yom Kippur!

This time is my all-time favorite part of any year. It is a time of ultimate renewal of body, spirit, and mind. The New Year, in Judaism, is not a time of partying or watching the ball drop, but it is a time of reflection on the past year and aspiring for the years to come. During the next ten days, I will be looking back on all of my actions before our day of judgement, and I encourage everyone to do the same.

L'Shana Tova Umetuka -- May this New Year bring EVERYONE Health, Happiness, and Joy!
Shalom, Cheers and Peace
Staci