what a day!
An exhausting first day here at the 69th URJ Biennial. Today’s second session was right up my alley with its focus on new trends in synagogue music. Klezfuzion — a thrilling cacophony of gospel, jazz, samba, with a klezmir overlay. Funky! Which led into Maariv. Whew — there were HUNDREDS of people for evening prayer.
To be honest, I didn’t enjoy the format of the service. Taking a page from other faith communities, we davened not with siddurim (prayerbooks), but with all the words prepared as a Powerpoint. As much as I love technology, I cannot imagine our people abandoning our love of the written word. The feel of the book in my hands helps me connect to the generations who have preceded me. And I felt rudderless as I prayed without benefit of a siddur.
Not to mention the fact that having the rabbi share pithy readings with background music and the projected tranquil scenes bore a strong resemblance to SNL’s (Saturday Night Live’s)”Deep Thoughts.”
All-in-all, the music made it a worthwhile experience!
Peach has been … well… a peach! He is a happy, friendly baby and enjoyed being passed around. There are other babies and children here — including one of his classmates from daycare! Of course, his sleeping schedule is off — which means that my sleeping schedule is off too.
Which might explain why I’m awake at 12:35am … And watching a movie about the birth of Jesus.
Followed by David Broza at Masada: A Sunrise Concert.
Funny, no??
Greetings from the 69th URJ Biennial!
My very first national Biennial is already a smashing success and I only arrived a few hours ago. So what makes it a success for a rabbi? The people! I have already reconnected with old friends, classmates, and the like. I’ve met people with whom I have only communicated online.
I am currently sitting in a session about New Media (podcasts, video streaming, etc.).
And blogging — ha, ha, ha!
Chanukah Overload
I have had latkes for dinner four nights in a row.
I’m starting to feel a little sick…
I leave you with this quote from the side of my kid’s juice box. The juice was awful…but the quote was worth it!!
Be yourself; everyone else is already taken. (Oscar Wilde)
A “Real Chanukah”
Our first night of Chanukah was wonderful. PC and I were both home early in order to “do Chanukah.” It was Peach’s first Chanukah…and he slept through it. Which was rather convenient as it allowed us to focus on the two older kids. With joy we lit the chanukiot (plural of chanukiah, or chanukah menorah) and the kids opened some gifts. After making “thank you” calls, we settled in for a fierce game of dreidle.
Last night was the antithesis of that wonderful first night. Neither PC nor I was able to get home at a reasonable hour. In fact, it was already after bedtme when we arrived. The kids were flying higher than kites … chomping at the bit to “do Chanukah.” We pulled the, out of bed, lit the candles, hastily opened presents, and hurried them back to bed.
Sounds a lot calmer the way I tell it here…
In any event, Poppyseed woke up this morning with a complaint on her lips:
We DIDN”T have REAL Chanukah last night!
“Yes, we did. We lit the candles, remember Poppyseed?”
NO! We lit the candles and opened presents and went to bed. We didn’t play DREIDLE. Harumph!
A digruntled four year old is certainly a force with whom I dared not vex so early in the day.
“Bubbe’s got dreidles for you tonight, my love. And latkes.”
Applesauce too?
“Yes,” I smiled, “applesauce too.”
Chappy Chanukah!
Proof that God Exists…
Timing is Everything
Last night was super fun. Lighting the candles was particularly wonderful for me. Beernut (who is only seven and won’t begin his Hebrew instruction for another year) sang along in full voice. Ach — that just makes me feel so proud and pleased. Presents were opened, admired, and then cast aside for a hard-core game of dreidel. A FORTY-FIVE MINUTE game of dreidel.
Funny, I don’t remember it being that boring when I was a kid…
Anyway, the kids had a terrific time spinning their dreidels and teaching our America-Korean nanny how to play. Getting them to bed was the usual yontiv struggle. Too much going on and they don’t want to miss a thing. In fact, Beernut and Poppyseed appeared at 2:30am this morning, requesting to play one of their new games.
Them:
We’ll be really quiet.
Me:
Um…yeah, no kidding you’ll be quiet. You’re going back to bed and then you’ll be asleep — and really quiet!
So you can imagine how pleased I was to have to d-r-a-g the kids out of bed this morning and hustle them out the door.
Beernut: ARRRGH! I’ve got a big fat test today!!!
[State benchmark testing]
Who thought it would be a good idea to have testing during this week? I know that it is unrealistic to expect the world to be sensitive to us ALL the time. However, given that most people seem to think that this is our most important holiday…
It’s just that sometimes I get so tired of having to explain myself and why we do this or why we don’t do that and so forth.
I had the following conversation earlier today:
So doesn’t your holiday start on December 12?
“Not this year. Started last night, as a matter of fact.”
Oh. So what is the holiday about anyway.
So I explain about the struggle to assert religious differences, the Temple, oil, and Chanukah’s proximaty to Christmas has created the tradition of gift-giving to become a part of our observance.
So it’s not because of the Wise Men?
[Somehow I don’t think that she is referring to the Sanhedrin]
“Um…no, no wise men involved here. We don’t have the wise men. Don’t have Jesus either.”
But…but they’re in the Bible. Ya know, the New Testament.
“Oh. That’s not part of our Bible. So it’s not there.”
Isn’t that weird?
“Not for us.”
What I sometimes ask is if they regard the Koran as part of the Bible but I just had a feeling that this line of questioning might just confuse things.
Oy!
Chanukah in Santa Monica
Yes, thanks to our friends from Chabad, there is a HUGE chanukiah overlooking the Santa Monica pier.
I love being Jewish. And I’ve certainly never hidden my identity. We’ve got an electric menorah in a front window of our home in order to comply with the commandment to “publish the miracle.” Nevertheless, the very public display of very large menorahs rub me the wrong way.
For some reason, it makes me think of someone with a Napoleon complex. As if there was something we are trying to prove…
We’re having a party and you’re not invited
Running errands today, I found the coolest Chanukah wrapping paper at a local gift shop. With my hands full of Chanukah goodies (not to mention a Mogen Dovid around my neck), the propreitor tried to sell me a “really cool mug with space to leave a message for Santa.”
Thought it was obvious that Santa won’t be visiting my abode, but hey, guess it wasn’t so obvious after all.
The Logic of Beernut
On our way into shul this morning, I reported to Beernut that just yesterday I was telling a group of people that I’ve never had to remind him to put on a yarmulke on his way into shul.
Yeah, and you never remind me to take it off either. Maybe that’s why we have so many yarmulkes in our car, Mom.
Cute kid.
NLTD
That’s right. NTLD. Stands for No Limit Texas Dreidle. Truly a great way to combine old school with a refreshing twist. We played it last night at our shul’s annual “Latkes and Vodkas” party for our 20/30’s group [The Genesis Project] and we had such a great time.
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Frume Sarah is Shabbos-observant -- in a Reform way, that is. Please note that from Friday afternoons until one hour after sundown on Saturday evenings, Frume Sarah will be unavailable, in observance of the Jewish Sabbath.
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