Jewish Musings, Friday/Shabbat, Feb 17/18

[louise]

What’s on your mind — how to make kugel? This week’s Torah reading? Life goals? Prayer? We are all engaged in weight loss/weight maintenance journeys and we are all Jewish or at least interested in Judaism. We like to eat, we like to discuss. It is our goal here to provide each other support on our journeys, to share experiences, to call on our rich cultural heritage and texts, and to help each other grow spiritually.

Some of us take weekly turns starting the thread:

Angelika
Holly
Lee
Louise
Lynne
Peachy

And for those of you that stop by to read this thread without posting — you are welcome to do that but you are also welcome to chime in!

[louise]

Continuing with selections from “Personal Prayers Before the Open Ark” from Siddur Lev Shalem:

The set up of the somewhat complicated pages in this siddur is that there are marginal notes running down the right side of the spread that give historical notes to help put the prayers in context. On the left side of the spread the marginal notes are reflections on the themes in the prayer, insights, alternatives.

To put this week’s journey into context here’s what is included in the right hand margin:
“Throughout the generations, the moment when the ark was opened and the Torah scrolls were displayed was considered an especially favored time for personal meditation and prayers for the welfare of the community.” The prayers we looked at were very personal and brought out some interesting things. But maybe you have some other place that is special for you where you feel close to God – a certain chair in a corner of your living room, a sunset, looking out at the ocean. Would love to hear what works for you.

In the left hand margins of these prayers we find:
In some North African communities members of the congregation add the following biblical verses privately:

Your word is a lamp for my feet, light for my path (Psalm 119:105)

A person’s soul is Adonai’s lamp, searching one’s innermost being (Proverbs 20:27)

Mitzvah is the lamp and Torah is the light, for the path of life is the taking of instructions (Proverbs 6:23)

For You light my lamp; Adonai my God, bring light even to my darkness (Psalm 18:29)

Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright (Psalm 97:11)

The theme of light and the many related metaphors about it have come into our discussions a number of times. The one that got my attention most in this selection is the one about ‘a person’s soul being Adonai’s lamp, searching one’s innermost being.’ It made me stop and run back over the words a couple of times.

[louise]

On a different note disappointed not to have lost any weight this week - then again I didn't gain any and I did consume an entire (12 oz) bag of chocolate chips last weekend so I guess I can't complain.

[savtele]

Boker Tov All! I'm tired today, and my head feels stuffy. Don't know if it's the (constantly) changing weather, or just that all my trips into town in the past week have just worn me out. My plan is to lay low today, rest, drink lots of water/tea - there are leftover meatloaf & pancakes, so not even a reason to cook.

I LOVE "A person's soul is Adonai's lamp...." - I tend to think of my soul as my "innermost being" - so to think of it as a lamp that is used to inspect my innermost being is a different slant. Apparently, I give off more light than I give myself credit for sometimes!

You all know about my Oma's chair. It sits in the corner of my living room, facing the "mizrach" plaque by the sliding door - so I have a beautiful view out over the property when I'm sitting there! When I sit down in it, I seem to "slip into line" with all the women who came before me (although the chair itself is probably only 60 or 70 years old) My Oma wore glasses, but she didn't need them to read her large-print Siddur, so there she would sit, her glasses pushed up onto the top of her head, her big Siddur on her lap, lips moving, finger following along. (Oma came to live with us after Opa died) Her room in our house was painted a pale yellow, the morning sun came streaming into the windows & my dad planted birch trees outside her window. She was short & dumpy, she had tiny feet, & she wore her hair in a little knot at the base of her neck. As I age, I'm getting shorter (and dumpier - & my feet are little & round)

Louise - I have enjoyed this week! We have explored hidden emotions & passions & opened up avenues of communication. Once again, I realize why I love you all so much - you "get" me!

Now that the morning pills and the coffee are kicking in, I am deciding that I probably DO want to go to the pool (funny that - 15 minutes makes a big difference!)

Shabbat Shalom!

[lee058]

Good morning everybody. Hope you are all well. I went to physical therapy again this morning, and I think it may be starting to help (this may be wishful thinking). I have been doing my shoulder exercises pretty faithfully, although I need to start putting ice packs on my shoulder.

I have enjoyed this week's readings. I found a lot of things to think about, re individual strength, insightfulness, the light we each have, and more. Thanks Louise!

Have a peaceful day, Lee

[hollygail]

I'm putting together my d'var Torah for tomorrow. (Did I tell you that I'm leading services for a friend who's out of town? Her Reform congregation likes me.) I'm going to explain why people rise for the reading of the 10 Commandments (this week's portion, Yitro, and for Va-etchanan from Deuteronomy, and during the reading on Shavuot) via the d'var Torah. (and if there's time, I'll also chant the Sephardic version of the haftarah, which begins the same way as the Ashkenazi version, but cuts it short: only the first 13 verses) The line in Torah that says God spoke the 10 Utterances (or Statements, both of which are more accurate translations than "commandments") it was in 70 languages, which means in every language spoken, so that each person could understand. From that verse, a tradition developed of having the Hebrew reading translated into the vernacular, so I have a translation I'm willing to have read and will hand it to the gabbai to read, after I read each verse in Hebrew... I think this congregation in particular will love that addition. (and because the d'var is longer than the rabbi often speaks, and the Torah reading will be longer because of the translating, I will keep an eye on the clock and may or may not chant the haftarah depending on the time...)

I'm so very much enjoying hearing about the margin notes in Siddur Lev Shalem this week. I loved the machzor (and have a copy of my own) and was looking forward to seeing the siddur. My only regret is that they haven't (and may not plan to) published a daily siddur as well as the Shabbat/Chag one... And like Angelika, I was smitten by "A person's soul is Adonai's lamp..." Wow!

I find God in quite a few places. Often out in nature, although I don't spend anywhere as much time "out in nature" as I used to. DH and I used to go for walks on the beach in the winter (fewer people) and I almost always found God there. When I hiked in the forests and mountains God was always there too. Now, I find God most often on the pages of the siddur in the mornings (one of the reasons I attend weekday morning minyan every day). And once in a while, I find God in the faces of my students... What a m'chai-ah!

[Annette]

Stopping by to wish all a Shabbat shalom.