So I just got back from this wedding that I went to tonight. I rushed back from Tzfat, did my laundry, took a quick shower, and practically jumped into the cab; I had been waiting for this all week. It was the wedding of these two wonderful people, Ronnie and Nili. I just met Ronnie a couple of weeks ago and everyone from Mayanot was invited. I'm SO glad that I went. the chupa (wedding ceremony) was the most literally THE MOST beautiful thing that I've ever seen. There were all different types of Jews; chasidic, non-observant, ones wearing streimels, once with long peyot, knit yamulkas, etc. When I was watching everything go on, the kallah (bride) circling the chasan (husband) seven times, the rings, seven brachot (blessings), breaking of the glass; everything done with incredible meaning, intention, emotion, holiness. The chasan, swaying back and forth with religious ecstacy, lost his composure at times, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. The kallah, her face shrowded behind the veil, taking in deep breaths and smiling when she had some sort of collectedness. People blowing shofars, playing guitars and violins, singing, dancing, crying. Clusters of grapes dangling from the chupah. The one leading the ceremony, Nili's brother, asked us to pause for a moment to recognize the presence of the Shechina, the feminine face of Hashem, the very presence of Hashem. Closing my eyes, listening to the faint sounds of distant sung melodies, freely strummed guitar, violin drones, the underlying murmer of voices, all interplaying with one another, I heard the collage of Hashem's symphony. Opening my eyes, seeing the vibrant colors of the flowered vines, the blend of different types of people, embracing, swaying, dabbing at the tears of joy in their eyes, closing their own eyes to drink in the moment, I saw Hashem's masterpiece. The crowd was united, witnessing the beautiful, blessed union of two people, starting their holy home of Torah and G-dliness; we were one, vessels for the Shechina, conduits for Hashem. We were actualizing the presence of G-d on Earth. The glass was broken in commemoration of the destruction of the Temple, yet also to break free from a previous life of seperateness into wholeness. We danced throughout the night and I, for the first time in my life, experiences being b'simcha, full of joy, pure unbridled joy.
Zach
p.s. sorry for the cheesiness/melodrama
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
First post in a while: Isralight program, week in Tzfat, Elul introspection
Hi all! Sorry for the long break, I've been VERY busy with lots of different things, but don't worry, I won't talk your ear off (or type or eyes off, I guess) So Mayanot summer semester came and went like a flash. It was really great, just what I needed at that time, and I'm incredibly excited to go back for the year-long plunge. After Mayanot, I ended up going on this ten day learning/traveling program in the Old City of Jerusalem called Isralight. I can't even really explain it other than by saying that it taught me how to:
a) look at Judaism and at G-d in a completely different way
b) answered a lot of questions that I'd had about seemingly unsettling/contradictory issues that I had with Torah
c) Helped me come closer to a loving relationship with G-d
Pretty much stated in an incredibly summarized, condensed version, G-d or Hashem is not some guy in the sky pelting down divine retribution at us; that is a severe misconception formed from Western culture. Hashem is infact EVERYTHING (and not the other way around G-d forbid, we're not G-d since that would be idol worship *tsk tsk*). However, while we are not G-d, we are a part of G-d, an aspect of G-d, the manifestation of G-d's free will/ability to choose. Hashem is the greater self and thus, by tuning into the will of Hashem (Torah), we in turn tap into that greater self that we are all apart of. It was explained to me as a good form of self centerdness, by seeing everyone as being a part of that larger self and looking out for that self through caring for others. Like I said, it's an incredibly condensed, rich, dense version of ten days of intense learning and living (contact me if you want more details on what I learned)
After Isralight, I spent two days back at Mayanot just knocking around the zoo and then went to Tzfat for the three day klezmer festival. It was pretty awesome; the performances were out of this world, but being in Tzfat by myself was at times a bummer. However, with this new found view on Hashem, the loneliness challenged me to tap into that higher self and to realize that we are never truly alone even when we are by ourselves. During the days of the festival, I went to some AMAZING art galleries. Tzfat opened up my eyes in regards to creativity and how that relates to the Divine. Hashem created us in His image and in doing so, gave us the ability to create. The fact that art exists is absolutely mind blowing. I mean, think of it, we take some colored oily stuff, smear it on a white piece of cloth stretched out over a wooden frame, and we suddenly make that quantum leap from the finite to infinite possibility. It's such a crazy concept. And to think that Hashem created us, the world, and everything else; we truly are like pieces of art in the largest art gallery ever!
Lastly, the month of Elul (the last month in the Jewish calendar) just started last tuesday, the day that I happened to arrive in Tzfat. During this time, it is common practice for people to do spiritual stock taking i.e. figure out your strengths, weakness, where you're lacking, how you can improve upon it, what you intend to do to improve upon it, etc. Simply put, it's like making a laundry list of yourself, yet then again, things aren't always so simple in Judaism. There's tons of customs such as listening to the Shofar (ram's horn) blast every morning at davening, reciting psalm 27 twice a day for the month of Elul, we switch up our greetings from a simple "shalom" or "shalom aleichem" to "ketiva v'chatima tova" translated loosely "may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year". If observed properly (or some what properly in my case) it can be incredibly meaningful. This past week in Tzfat has seemed like an eternity because I've learned so much about myself, where I am right now, what I need to do, etc. I've never felt so connected in my life. This has really been such a crazy year; I think that anyone who saw my transformation during it can attest to that. There's been definite ups and downs to it, I can't even imagine what's in store for me this year.
So with that I wish you all a fond farewell, much love, and ketiva v'chatima tova,
Zach
a) look at Judaism and at G-d in a completely different way
b) answered a lot of questions that I'd had about seemingly unsettling/contradictory issues that I had with Torah
c) Helped me come closer to a loving relationship with G-d
Pretty much stated in an incredibly summarized, condensed version, G-d or Hashem is not some guy in the sky pelting down divine retribution at us; that is a severe misconception formed from Western culture. Hashem is infact EVERYTHING (and not the other way around G-d forbid, we're not G-d since that would be idol worship *tsk tsk*). However, while we are not G-d, we are a part of G-d, an aspect of G-d, the manifestation of G-d's free will/ability to choose. Hashem is the greater self and thus, by tuning into the will of Hashem (Torah), we in turn tap into that greater self that we are all apart of. It was explained to me as a good form of self centerdness, by seeing everyone as being a part of that larger self and looking out for that self through caring for others. Like I said, it's an incredibly condensed, rich, dense version of ten days of intense learning and living (contact me if you want more details on what I learned)
After Isralight, I spent two days back at Mayanot just knocking around the zoo and then went to Tzfat for the three day klezmer festival. It was pretty awesome; the performances were out of this world, but being in Tzfat by myself was at times a bummer. However, with this new found view on Hashem, the loneliness challenged me to tap into that higher self and to realize that we are never truly alone even when we are by ourselves. During the days of the festival, I went to some AMAZING art galleries. Tzfat opened up my eyes in regards to creativity and how that relates to the Divine. Hashem created us in His image and in doing so, gave us the ability to create. The fact that art exists is absolutely mind blowing. I mean, think of it, we take some colored oily stuff, smear it on a white piece of cloth stretched out over a wooden frame, and we suddenly make that quantum leap from the finite to infinite possibility. It's such a crazy concept. And to think that Hashem created us, the world, and everything else; we truly are like pieces of art in the largest art gallery ever!
Lastly, the month of Elul (the last month in the Jewish calendar) just started last tuesday, the day that I happened to arrive in Tzfat. During this time, it is common practice for people to do spiritual stock taking i.e. figure out your strengths, weakness, where you're lacking, how you can improve upon it, what you intend to do to improve upon it, etc. Simply put, it's like making a laundry list of yourself, yet then again, things aren't always so simple in Judaism. There's tons of customs such as listening to the Shofar (ram's horn) blast every morning at davening, reciting psalm 27 twice a day for the month of Elul, we switch up our greetings from a simple "shalom" or "shalom aleichem" to "ketiva v'chatima tova" translated loosely "may you be inscribed and sealed for a good year". If observed properly (or some what properly in my case) it can be incredibly meaningful. This past week in Tzfat has seemed like an eternity because I've learned so much about myself, where I am right now, what I need to do, etc. I've never felt so connected in my life. This has really been such a crazy year; I think that anyone who saw my transformation during it can attest to that. There's been definite ups and downs to it, I can't even imagine what's in store for me this year.
So with that I wish you all a fond farewell, much love, and ketiva v'chatima tova,
Zach
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