Here in NYC, I usually go to my Modern Orthodox shul. Why MoOrth when I label myself as reform? That's for a different blog post. Also, I just made up MoOrth - sounds like an abbreviation for a birth control pill! But sometimes I dabble in other shuls. And then regret it. This Tuesday night/Wednesday was Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar where we fast and atone for our sins. It's a pretty serious holiday. This year, I went to two services that couldn't have been more different from each other.
For Kol Nidre, the Tuesday night service that kicks the party off, a friend and I streamed a service from a congregation that was... a little different. I heard good things about this shul, but I should have known I was in for trouble when I saw their website refers to themselves as "experimental" and "G-d Optional" (except they put the 'o' in the middle whereas I do not, but that's for a different blog post), but I still wanted to give them a try and wanted to avoid paying $100 for an in-person Kol Nidre. Nope. Here's how this service went down. SERVICE #1:
Then I went to my MoOrth crew for day service, which I can't say anything bad about because the woman who coordinates it reads this (jk, Rachel!). There were some cool tidbits, like... SERVICE #2:
The moral of the story is sometimes it's worth it to realize what's not for you. That's how you get one step closer to finding your tribe. Speaking of you, from time to time, I'll pose a question. Feel free to journal about it, chew on it, message me privately and have a chat about it, OR (preferably) respond to the newsletter, and if I'm impressed by your answer, I'll post it anonymously in the next one! This week's question is: What's something in your life you're trying to change, and what stage are you at according to the five stages above? Do you feel like you're almost there, or not? I'd love to hear about your journey. May we all be inscribed (and sealed) in the great book o'life. Thanks for reading. Shabbat Shalom.
2 Comments
Trying to change (increase) my knowledge of Judaism. The history (biblical, traditions, words, beliefs). I want to be a little more observant - not looking for radical change. I’m probably in stage 2 contemplation - my only comment on how the stages are presented is change is presented as a problem - which is a turn off word and feels Unnecessarily negative and like a personal attack.
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Allen
10/8/2022 10:41:29 am
I think what happens between #1 and # 2 a fascinating topic for exploration.
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