It is the second night of Hanukkah in Jerusalem.  It is still relatively warm here, as though Winter were a little shy, peeking out from behind the clouds and then running away for a few weeks after every short visit.  The time is soon coming for the change of seasons though.

It is my 23rd Hanukkah and the first one I’ve spent in Israel.  For most of my life, things have been more or less similar every year, but now change is here, it is a new season for me in my new role as a rabbinical student.

Right now, dreidels are spinning in homes all over the country and thousands of people wait for them to fall, to see which letter they land on which will determine their luck in the game.  I, my classmates, and perhaps you too, continue to grapple with the exciting, consternating, sometimes painful sometimes joyful process of discovering which letter the cosmic dreidel has landed on for each of us but then before we can come to terms the dreidel begins to spin again.  Life can seem like a chain of changes and we are barely hanging on.

Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (an important Hasidic rebbe of the 18th century) offers a different and insightful perspective of dreidels and of change:

For in truth, the entire universe is a spinning top, which is called a dreidel. Everything moves in a circle: angels change into men and men into angels; the head becomes a foot and the foot a head. All things in the world are part of this circular motion, reborn and transformed into one another. That which was above is lowered and that which was below is raised up. For in their root all of them are one.

One dreidel spinning, that’s all life is.  We all have our sides, some we like and some we don’t.  We all experience changes, some for better, some for worse.  But in the end I am still me, and you are still you, come what may, and I hope that we will always be we in the one that is all*.

Chag sameach (happy holiday)!

__________________
*I welcome comments, especially if they can help explain what the heck I’m saying.  I’m also curious what you think about the Nachman quote.

Academics
I am taking an awesome collection of ten classes this semester that include Modern Hebrew, Bible, Biblical Grammar, Biblical History, Second Temple History, Modern Zionist History, Israel Seminar, Liturgy, Rabbinic Texts, Jewish Thought (medieval philosophy), and an elective on midrashic stories from the Book of Legends.  Except for the history courses, all of my classes are taught in Hebrew, so I’ve been slowly starting to become comfortable with being swimming in Hebrew waters without relaxing on English islands.  No major tests or papers yet – so naturally I am happy with school thus far.  All the teachers are more or less phenomenal in their own ways. One of the best parts of this year though, is having the gift of the other students with whom I collaborate, relax, debate, teach, and learn.

Spirituality
Part of being in rabbinical school is, oddly enough, attending prayer services.  Every Shabbat, and at least twice a week on weekdays, HUC holds student services where we take turns leading various parts of the service.  I find it a very supporting environment where each of us can share insights and methods as well as continue to grow through experience.

Holidays
This season I blew the shofar for the High Holidays for my first time.  I and two other students coordinated and had a fun and meaningful experience on Rosh Hashanah.  We also sounded the shofar for one long blast to conclude Yom Kippur.  After 25 hours of fasting.  I don’t recommend using every last fiber of your being to hold the note as long as possible in that situation.  I was more or less recovered from almost fainting after ten minutes though, so no harm done.  The Yom Kippur service at HUC was held in Blaustein Hall, which is a beautifully designed room with glass walls facing the Old City.  It was very inspiring to see the day pass by and the light change on the walls of the Old City, with it’s panoply of churches, mosques, the Tower of David, and somewhere close but just out of sight, the Western Wall.

Jerusalem
I have yet to explore large areas of Jerusalem (and the rest of Israel for that matter), but I have already started to think of the city as home and it’s remarkable how quickly I miss being there when I’m away.  Whatever else can be said about Jerusalem, it definitely has  character.

There’s plenty more to say, but that’s all for now.  Keep an eye out for an imminent update on my week-long Arizona adventure!

My new shofar

My Judaica collection is inexorably growing, for better or for worse.  Today, a group of HUC students went to explore shofars with a merchant who supports progressive Judaism in Israel (and so will work with HUC and sell women tallitot, etc.).  Before we left, Josh, our soon to be 5th year rabbinical student who has been coordinating activities this summer, mentioned that we could try various shofars and try to find a good match, one that “called out” to us.  Naturally, a lot of us immediately thought Harry Potter and wand shopping.  I’d already compared attending HUC to Hogwartz, and this reinforced my impression:  A select group of individuals coming together in a far away land, to study somewhat esoteric subjects (for the world at large) such as History of the Second Temple Period, Hebrew language, and traditional prayers (=spells).  The various Houses will return to LA, Cincinnati, New York, and there are a few going to England and Germany after this year.  Our leaders often have a special title (Rabbi=Wizard) and especially in Israel being Reform sometimes feels like being a Wizard in an oblivious Muggle world.  Anyway, before this gets any more heretical, I’ll get back to the shofar business.

Playing the shofar in my apartment

When Josh said that we would need to find a shofar that called out to us, I didn’t really think he meant that literally.  I figured I would try a few and see which one would do, and if it took a while so be it.  Then I touched the first shofar.  It didn’t look like what I wanted, it was all polished instead of half polished and half left rough.  I tried blowing a note, then tested out the range of pitches (as a trumpet player I didn’t have a problem learning the technique).  It had the same intervals as a bugle would, although probably not the same pitches, and it was relatively easy to get a good, solid sound.  I tried a few more shofars but none of them had the confident ease of sound or the right intervals that I was looking for.  After more doodling around on my first choice, I decided it was indeed calling out to me in a clear, “Tekiyahhh, take me yaaaaa.”  So it was love at first sight, and now it is sitting on my bed waiting for me to figure out where the heck to put it.  By coincidence, it cost me exactly the same amount as a Tallit that I bought early from the same guy.

Wand down (shofar), robe down (tallit), now I just need a broomstick so I don’t have to walk that infernal 30 minutes to school every day.

1. I graduated from college!!!! And I didn’t graduate from college!!!  I finished my finance degree in May, but since I took an incomplete on my Judaic Studies thesis and finished it in June, I don’t actually graduate with my Judaic Studies degree until August.  A little bit weird, but I think it’ll work out fine.  To my UofA friends, Coro staff, and Temple Emanu-el extended family: Miss you and thanks for everything!

2. I got into rabbinical school at Hebrew Union College and am now in Jerusalem (and have been for a month) studying Hebrew and exploring Israel.  Much love to all my new friends here, you are making this experience awesome (enough to wait a month to blog about it…? Seriously, you’re all great).

3. I proposed to my beautiful girlfriend Bryce, and I think she said yes somewhere between taking the ring and giving me an incredulous hug. We have now been engaged for over a month!  Sadly, after joining me in Israel for a week and a half she is now back in the States for the semester. Bryce, miss you and love you!

4. Most importantly, I watched all six seasons of Lost in one month, and LOVED the show and HATED parts of it, but thought that what made the show great was how much I still loved the parts I hated despite myself.  The elements of spirituality were intriguing to me as I prepared to start my path to becoming a rabbi.

More later on actual details of my Israel experience.

Lehitraot (see you later)!

Jay

Wednesday 3/31
-Finished An Introduction to Early Judaism by James VanderKam.  It was a great  and simple introduction to non-Biblical literature of the Second Temple period (works like Ben Sira, Josephus, Psalms of Solomon…).

Thursday 4/1
-Started The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs.

Friday 4/2
-I had an eye exam follow up, and my optometrist seemed very impressed with my desire to be a rabbi.  Apparently it’s not the easiest job around?

Thursday 3/25/10
-Had a buiness ethics test (on things like Universalism vs. Utilitarianism, Kant, Bentham, etc.).  Once again, I lost my notes and didn’t find them until after the test.  Luckily, Olivia M. was amazing and helped me out by sharing hers to refresh my memory.
-Spent three hours in the Bloomberg terminal room in McClelland Hall doing an assignment for my portfolio management class, which led to me missing choir practice.

Friday 3/26/10
-Got a haircut, but sadly not perfect (according to Bryce).
-Attended services at Temple Emanu-el for the Centennial Shabbat (100 years of existence!).  The choir had some fun songs and was great fun as always.  There was a pretty good crowd in attendance.  Rabbi Eric Yoffee, president of the Union for Reform Judaism (a Very Important Person in the Reform movement) was the guest speaker and gave an excellent speech.  Simon R. was kind enough to lead me to Rabbi Cohon’s office before services so I could meet Rabbi Yoffee (since I just got accepted into HUC).   We exchanged a few words (with Rabbi Cohon and Bruce B. present).  It was pretty exciting.

Saturday 3/27/10
-Went to morning services at Temple.  Bryce was co-leading with Rabbi Sharff, and I chanted for Project Ezra.  After Rabbi Sharff announced my acceptance into HUC, I got plenty of mazel tovs from people.

Sunday 3/28/10
-Finished “Rabbinic Authority” by Michael S. Berger.  Fascinating exploration of different theories to explain the acceptance of the early Sages (and the Mishnah and Talmud) as central to Judaism, but ultimately didn’t really contribute much to a historical explanation.
-Ate dinner with the Megdals and Ben.

Tuesday 3/16/10
-Finished Davita’s Harp. I tried reading this in high school, but I never got into it.  This time around it really drew me in.  Absolutely amazing story telling; I have to admit to tearing up at the end.

Wednesday 3/17/10
-Did pretty much nothing. Ah, spring break…

Thursday 3/18/10
-Watched lots of NCAA tournament basketball off and on during the day.  Incredible buzzer beater win by Murray State.
-Also started on taxes. Yay.

Friday 3/19/10
-Went to Friday night service at Temple Emanu-el.  Bryce was singing with the Avanim rock band (a pun on the Hebrew word which means rocks).  Rabbi Cohon had me come up to do HaMotzi and announced I was accepted into HUC.  I was surprised and almost forgot the tune.

Saturday 3/20/10
-Led morning services at Bell Atria retirement home.  Diane (or Dianna?) gave me some Jewish books, which was very nice of her.  They included a relatively recent JPS translation of Psalms, Friedman’s The Bible With Sources Revealed, and an old Daily Prayerbook (HaSiddur HaShalem).  Services went well despite low attendance (or perhaps because of it?).  With the generous aid of old prayerbooks from Temple Emanu-el, I went through selections of the morning and Torah services, interjecting short history lessons on prayers and personal stories.

Sunday 3/21/10
-Finished Neil Gillman’s Sacred Fragments.  I now know so much more about Jewish approaches to theology!  Rabbi Cohon recommended this several years ago…I’m glad I finally read it.
-Back to work! Spring break is over.

Tuesday 3/9/10
-Started Sacred Fragments by Neil Gillman – “Recovering Theology for the Modern Jew”.

Thursday 3/11/10
-Biblical Hebrew midterm was pretty easy – so far we have read parts of Ruth, as well as the Menasseh story from 2 Kings.

Friday 3/12/10
-Ate at Wilko at University and Park with Bryce.  This place has remodeled itself several times; its latest reincarnation is as a classy casual wine bar and restaurant.  We very much liked the food – Bryce had macaroni and cheese and I had a lightly sauced penne that were very delicious.  Excellent service too.
-Watched Alice in Wonderland at the theater, Tim Burton’s sequel to the original story.  I loved the visual effects (although we didn’t watch in 3D), and the characters were well-done, but the story still fell flat for me.  I couldn’t relate well enough to the plot or something.

Saturday 3/13/10
-Start of Spring Break!!!!
-Bryce and I went to the Fox Theater downtown to watch a concert by Israeli star David Broza.  He played a lot of Spanish/Hebrew songs that were good (he is amazing on guitar), but the ones I liked best were the famous Bedouin Love Song and Yihye Tov.

Sunday 3/14/10
-Dad called me on Skype to let me know a letter from HUC had arrived. He read it to me…I was accepted into the Rabbinical Program! Now for travel, financing, and other planning.

Tuesday 3/2/10
-The day of the big INTERVIEW!!  I got dressed up in my nice suit, then grabbed my bags and walked the two blocks or so to Hebrew Union College (near USC).  On the way, some school kids kicked a ball outside of their fence, so I gave it back to them.
-The interview was nerve-wracking, but I enjoyed meeting and talking with the interviewers.  There was the admissions coordinator who I had dinner with the night before, a current student, a board member, an alum rabbi, a faculty member, and the dean of the rabbinical program.  Up for discussion: spirituality, leadership (and team leadership), poetry, theology, past experiences.
-After the interview, I took the Hebrew test.  It was 16 pages long, but not too terribly difficult.

Wednesday 3/3/10
-Finished “From the Maccabees to the Mishnah”, a general overview of the Jewish history from the Maccabean revolt (which inspired Hanukkah) to the writing of the Mishnah by Shaye J.D. Cohen.  Very informative and well organized.

Thursday 3/4/10
-Went to choir practice, then went to UofA basketball game against UCLA with Ben (Bryce’s parents gave us tickets from the people who normally sit next to them).  The game was pretty bad until we finally took our first lead at 65-64, eventually going on to win.

Friday 3/5/10
-Midterm for Portfolio Management, FIN 423b.  I probably should have studied a bit more…
-Led services at Hillel with Megan B. (combined Conservative/Reform).  Bryce joined late because she was feeling exhausted.  Dinner was tasty, Breakfast for Dinner.  Bryce helped with my D’var Torah: Could we really fault the Israelites for needing a Golden Calf “security blanket” when their leader Moses seemed to have disappeared?

Saturday 3/6/10
-Led services at Atria retirement home (I am volunteering twice a month).  Rabbi Rule #1: Bring prayer books for everyone!  I didn’t and it was somewhat awkward.  There were five friendly people who showed up, one of whom had known my grandmother quite well and who had given me a gold mezuzah necklace for my Bar Mitzvah, Diana (sp?).  I had them take turns reading some English parts, while I chanted/sang others in Hebrew.
-Went to my last home basketball game at UA against USC.  Since Bryce was still sleeping, I sat with Bryce’s parents and the surrounding people were great.  The game was very intense: Kyle Fogg made 3 free throws with 0.2 seconds left to tie the game in regulation, then after two overtimes Nic Wise pulled his amazing knife through butter trick and went through two defenders to barely slide a layup in for the winner.  Needless to say, the crowd was amazing.  Plus we got free HonesT tea drinks.

Sunday 3/7/10
-Wrote a lot of my thesis, Chapter 1: Origins of Rabbinic Judaism.  Finished it late at night and emailed it to David G. (thesis advisor).
-Led guest log and desk meetings with Chelsea.  They went fairly smooth although many people were absent.

Thursday 2/25/10
-Missed choir practice due to not having my car.

Friday 2/26/10
-Lunch with Kim A. at Paradise. Last time was first semester…
-Led Reform services at Hillel with Bryce.  I really enjoyed the service: singing with Bryce is always a thrill, I knew people there who participated, and I actually had a decent D’var Torah.  The Torah portion started off with the commandment to light the Ner Tamid, the eternal light, so I used the theme of an “eternal” way for Jews to connect to God/Jewish people to point out Hebrew’s significance (since it was Israel Shabbat).  I’m surprised I even threw in a mini-grammatical lesson on the trope markings.

Saturday 2/27/10
-Chanted an Aliyah at Temple Emanu-el for the monthly Project Ezra.  I stayed for the Rabbi’s Tish (a potluck lunch and Torah study session).  I was particularly impressed by Rabbi Sharff’s explanation for why he wears a suit – very diplomatic.

Sunday 2/28/10
-Studied Hebrew with Jaqui M. for HUC test (next Tuesday), then packed for the trip to Los Angeles!