Hey Folks,
in this installment I cover the Habad Jewish Synagogue in Salt Lake City (actually just down the street from our friends at the Church of Scientology!). I want to keep this entry short and sweet because i have a lot to catch up on and so little free time to do it. Taking notes and photos was forbidden so I am going off of memory what I had experienced nearly three or four weeks ago so wish me luck.
I have always been, and continue to be quite inexperienced and unlearned in Judaism, this is really Chad's area of expertise. If you want a better look into our trip, I would recommend taking a quick peek at his blog HERE. So with this in mind, I hope that those who are reading this and are more enlightened with regards to this faith could find it in your hearts to forgive me as I may not do it justice in my descriptions. Fortunately I had both Chad and my friend Jeremy there to help fill me in on some of what was going on. Jeremy is a native Jew and speaker of Hebrew, having grown up in Israel and being born into a Jewish household he was an invaluable source of information and connections. In fact the Synagogue we visited turned out to be the one to which he belonged.
ATMOSPHERE: 5/10
Basically this was an
orthodox sect and were very traditional. This being the case, we had a
chance to see some cultural relics. such as the covering of hair for
women and gender segregation. Chad and I were even given yarmulkes to
wear for the service (which lasted an unexpected THREE HOURS!).
I
felt a little awkward when I learned that men and women sat separately
and were separated by a partition. It didn't really shock me, but it was
different to see. I could tell that it was making Chad a bit
uncomfortable though. I know it is a religious and cultural thing, but
having grown up in an individualistic western society with a prominent
feminist presence and what not, it is totally reasonable that I should
have been a little aback to see gender segregation.
Decorations were pretty simple, according to Chad it was not as ornate as the reformed Jewish synagogue in Ogden. Tables were placed in the back of the room where members could sit with their books, etc. This is where we sat for the service rising and sitting as required.
COMMUNITY: 9/10
Very nice folks. They were open to questions and were helpful in helping us follow along and stay on track. They did their best to help us understand what was going on.
SERVICE: 5/10 candles
Jeremy kind of gave us the run down of what we could expect from the service as well as some of the do's and don'ts.
Notes and photos were forbidden, yarmulkes must be worn at all times
withing the place of the service and in the area where the brunch and
post service was offered. However, the proper orientation of the leather-bound hardcover copies of the Torah I had to learn on my own the hard way. When, after the read along in the service was finished for a time, I had placed the book cover-down on the table, the rabbi walked by our table (still chanting prayers in Hebrew) and flipped the book upright to its proper orientation. I found this interesting.
Most of the rating was due to the amazing new experience of hearing the Hebrew tongue in action. I thought it was cool as hell to hear the recitations from the huge Torah scroll, which I came to learn was all written by hand! There is one of these scrolls in almost every synagogue and they are all supposed to be written by hand with no mistakes... none. In the event of which, the scroll must be burned and then written all over again! Talk about devotion! The reading was done with a rhythm and in a sort of sing-song style sounding almost like a song or chant. It had a delightful musical quality to it and one in particular I was quite taken with and will have to somehow find out which one it was, it sounded "folky" and festive.
Something also of note was that the scroll reading was to be done in parts by each of several men. There was a certain number of qualified male members that must be present in order for this to take place. there were also family prayers that were offered up for each of the members that went up. For those who were not as well versed in Hebrew, the Rabbi would read for them in short bits and allow them to repeat after him. The whole service was focused on ceremony and protocol. Everything seemed to have a purpose and an order. this was a very disciplined lot.
Where it lost points for me was the length and monotony. It really was an interesting experience, presenting new sounds and sights I have never had before, the novelty did wear down after a while. I suppose that this was to e expected because after the service, the Rabbi made a lighthearted comment of praise by saying "Hey you made it all the way through!". I liked the people here, they were friendly and helpful, you could see the pride they take in their identity and feel the sense of community here.
MESSAGE: 9/10 candles
There can be good in everything and everyone. There is wisdom even negative traits and you can take those positive aspects and use them for yourself. The example here was to learn from the thief, though not a noble profession there is much you can learn from the thief. Attention to detail was one such trait as well as persistence, innovation, improvement, discipline, and foresight. I thought this was a good message and I will seek to apply it to my own life
OVERALL: 7/10
Not the most entertaining service but there was a good takeaway message and the people were friendly. Would I do it again? maybe not in the near future but I am glad I went. The length of the service was the big turn off, I can't believe people do it every week, that is a bit much for me.
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COMING UP...
My Visit to the Genesis Project! Faith meets rock'n roll! We have heard it described as a Christian rave, but did it put out?
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