Excerpts from Rosh Hashana
Sep. 17th, 2007 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidAs always, let me know if I should translate any of the transliterated stuff.
First morning, I was late to Tehillah. They were reconfiguring the room (there were far more people who'd said they'd attend than originally expected), so didn't start until after I arrived. I hadn't been there for the beginning of davening before; I hadn't realized that they start after birkot hashachar. Good to know!
Physical layout: front-to-back mechitza that was pulled back during divrei Torah. Slightly larger women's side than men's, which meant that the shulchan was a bit more in front of the women's section, and the aron was in front of the women's section as well. There was a lectern on the shulchan for when a woman was leading, and a music stand on the men's side for men leading. Since we were in the smaller upstairs room at Hillel, there was a curve of windows overlooking the courtyard on the men's side, and a wall with posters from events past on the facing wall, with a line of skylights above (read: interesting light patterns as the day progressed; I should've brought sunglasses), and a wall of honey-colored wood closets in front.
The woman who led psukei stayed up by the shulchan as the shatz started shacharit. I wasn't sure why until partway through repetition of the amidah, when she led some of the R"H insertions. Not something I've seen done before. Also not seen by me before: a woman telling the baal tokeah which sounds to blow. It felt strange not to have someone with a tallit on doing that, for some reason. In any case, the baal tokeah did a great job, staying solid the whole way through, the final tekiah gedolah as clear and easy as the first tekiah. It blew through me in the way I love, wiping all verbal thought as the sounds ascended. One thing was different, in that his tru'ah was more... linked than sharp little sounds. My hostess that night attributes this to his being English, which has different traditions (noticeable in his laining as well).
The first day d'var Torah was about finding it in oneself to grant forgiveness when asked, which is important enough that one is obligated to ask thrice. I don't remember all of what he said (there are definitely times I wish I could take notes), unfortunately. He mentioned that forgiving the act that hurt is not the same as condoning it, and that it can be easier to forgive if one focuses on one's relationship with the asker, whether as a friend or even just the global fellowship of humans, goodwill towards all sort of thing, and not let the asking revive whatever unpleasant memories one has of the incident.
Widower-of-Elka led musaf, and it was poignant hearing him chant about who would live, who would die, who before their time... It hurt in odd ways, which was somewhat relieved later when his kids came in later, the daughter looking so much like her mother. I was pleased I had time to talk with them over a meal that night, since they're usually in town just for R"H, and they have many every-year meals set up.
I was honored first day with glilah, sefer rishon. I don't remember the last time I heard my name called out (the gabbai was very prepared, with a list of honorees ready so misheberachs went smoothly). I knew what to do, but found myself having to focus due to the performance anxiety of all those people watching me. I know they can see me just as well during davening (I stand at the front, because being in the crowd makes it almost impossible for me to concentrate on the davening, and being at the back is too far from the action, as it were), but they don't, or I don't notice, or something.
Oh, and when the female gabbai (there are two gabbaim, one male, one female, and in this case, married to one another) went to lain, she'd forgotten to have someone replace her, so I stepped in, given that I was right there and saw the need.
I had a hard time with a phrase in the musaf amidah, something like (I don't have a machzor here for precise wording) "ain shichcha lifnai kisai k'vodecha." I haven't had something hit me that hard in a long time.
There's birkat kohanim both days of R"H, which is always a good thing. I moved back to make sure I was in front of them, rather than to the side, to receive the blessing. The one (minor) annoyance: people who sing along with the tune the kohanim use before the last word of each of the three phrases. The whole point of that tune is to let thems that say it a prayer during that time; it's not a singalong (do they not notice it doesn't happen on Shabbat, when that prayer wouldn't be appropriate, since it's somewhat about parnasa?).
There were some lovely tunes this year; I hope I remember them for next year. Particularly pleasing was the singing on the second day of 'V'chol ma'aminim" to the tune I really like. Unfortunately, I hadn't finished my own amidah at that point, so I couldn't join in, but I had stopped my own tefillah for kedushah anyway, so I just kept paused so I wouldn't have to daven through one of my most favorite newer tunes (ie, not one I've heard since childhood).
Second day I started at Tehillah again, because it felt right to help with the minyan, and realized I was in the right place for my davening, so I didn't go to the Tremont mechitzah minyan until after Tehillah finished. Since I'd heard when they finished first day, I was pretty sure they'd run later than Tehillah second day. I had time to go home and put stuff on the plata, and they were still in musaf repetition. Of course, they have a kiddush in there, too. I stopped by only briefly, so I'd have more lunch prep time, and as I left, had a disconcerting moment, with the sounds of R"H davening on one side of me, and a large-ish picture of the pope (JPII) with his crucifix on the other. Too strange.
I was lucky enough to be invited out for a number of meals. Additionally, they were timed/placed such that I got in a decent amount of walking every day, which was great.
Second day lunch went rather differently than I'd expected: we bentched because someone had to get to minchah, and one guest left when I headed off to Shabbat dinner. Which was rather wonderful (conversation just flowed that comfortably and easily), though a long day, too. In general, meals turned out to be wonderful, each of them small enough (in numbers of adults, anyway) and comfortable enough that there was excellent conversation, whether about the Cambridge minyanim or politics at a university or Burning Man experiences or books or teaching or travel or... Also, I was served some very yummy food. Particularly outstanding (at different meals): cylinder of roast beast, cauliflower-bleu cheese soup, a mashed winter squash in phyllo thing, pineapple salsa, gluten-free chocolate chip-banana muffins.
Shabbat was less intense than R"H, but almost as full, with a houseguest and an afternoon class and a long walk. The class was for people who'd like to read their aliyah from the Torah on Simchat Torah (when everyone gets called to the Torah (all males in traditional Orthodox minyanim)). I'd seen email about this before R"H, but never got around to replying, with all else that was going on, and I wasn't sure that I'd get there. But I mentioned it Thursday night, and one of my hosts, the teacher, was very excited, since no one else had replied either. Which was just enough incentive to get me to leave my lunch in time to get there. I was particularly glad I did because no one else had shown up, so I got personalized instruction :-). We went over a number of the aliyot, and I realized that I have most of the 'big,' noticeable trope down, while the smaller, regular joiner type trope are harder for me. I don't know why that is. I do know that one of the last times I read Torah was on Simchat Torah as an undergrad, and I froze some, and had to keep going up and repeating and freezing up and in general having a horrible time. My Hebrew's better than then (though most of these aliyot aren't the easiest), at least. I haven't decided whether I should take the same aliyah that gave me trouble back then, as a fixing/completion to that, or another one would be enough to feel I'm competent to do this. Also helpful: having worked with the sofrut alphabet, so the letters are that much more familiar. Now I have to put in the practice time, to make the words familiar, the trope familiar, then jump to the other column in the photocopied pages of the tikkun (a book that has the Torah text printed with vowels and cantillation in one column, and as it appears in a sefer Torah in the other (ie, no vowels, no cantillation marks, no punctuation marks).
All in all, a good start to the year.
First morning, I was late to Tehillah. They were reconfiguring the room (there were far more people who'd said they'd attend than originally expected), so didn't start until after I arrived. I hadn't been there for the beginning of davening before; I hadn't realized that they start after birkot hashachar. Good to know!
Physical layout: front-to-back mechitza that was pulled back during divrei Torah. Slightly larger women's side than men's, which meant that the shulchan was a bit more in front of the women's section, and the aron was in front of the women's section as well. There was a lectern on the shulchan for when a woman was leading, and a music stand on the men's side for men leading. Since we were in the smaller upstairs room at Hillel, there was a curve of windows overlooking the courtyard on the men's side, and a wall with posters from events past on the facing wall, with a line of skylights above (read: interesting light patterns as the day progressed; I should've brought sunglasses), and a wall of honey-colored wood closets in front.
The woman who led psukei stayed up by the shulchan as the shatz started shacharit. I wasn't sure why until partway through repetition of the amidah, when she led some of the R"H insertions. Not something I've seen done before. Also not seen by me before: a woman telling the baal tokeah which sounds to blow. It felt strange not to have someone with a tallit on doing that, for some reason. In any case, the baal tokeah did a great job, staying solid the whole way through, the final tekiah gedolah as clear and easy as the first tekiah. It blew through me in the way I love, wiping all verbal thought as the sounds ascended. One thing was different, in that his tru'ah was more... linked than sharp little sounds. My hostess that night attributes this to his being English, which has different traditions (noticeable in his laining as well).
The first day d'var Torah was about finding it in oneself to grant forgiveness when asked, which is important enough that one is obligated to ask thrice. I don't remember all of what he said (there are definitely times I wish I could take notes), unfortunately. He mentioned that forgiving the act that hurt is not the same as condoning it, and that it can be easier to forgive if one focuses on one's relationship with the asker, whether as a friend or even just the global fellowship of humans, goodwill towards all sort of thing, and not let the asking revive whatever unpleasant memories one has of the incident.
Widower-of-Elka led musaf, and it was poignant hearing him chant about who would live, who would die, who before their time... It hurt in odd ways, which was somewhat relieved later when his kids came in later, the daughter looking so much like her mother. I was pleased I had time to talk with them over a meal that night, since they're usually in town just for R"H, and they have many every-year meals set up.
I was honored first day with glilah, sefer rishon. I don't remember the last time I heard my name called out (the gabbai was very prepared, with a list of honorees ready so misheberachs went smoothly). I knew what to do, but found myself having to focus due to the performance anxiety of all those people watching me. I know they can see me just as well during davening (I stand at the front, because being in the crowd makes it almost impossible for me to concentrate on the davening, and being at the back is too far from the action, as it were), but they don't, or I don't notice, or something.
Oh, and when the female gabbai (there are two gabbaim, one male, one female, and in this case, married to one another) went to lain, she'd forgotten to have someone replace her, so I stepped in, given that I was right there and saw the need.
I had a hard time with a phrase in the musaf amidah, something like (I don't have a machzor here for precise wording) "ain shichcha lifnai kisai k'vodecha." I haven't had something hit me that hard in a long time.
There's birkat kohanim both days of R"H, which is always a good thing. I moved back to make sure I was in front of them, rather than to the side, to receive the blessing. The one (minor) annoyance: people who sing along with the tune the kohanim use before the last word of each of the three phrases. The whole point of that tune is to let thems that say it a prayer during that time; it's not a singalong (do they not notice it doesn't happen on Shabbat, when that prayer wouldn't be appropriate, since it's somewhat about parnasa?).
There were some lovely tunes this year; I hope I remember them for next year. Particularly pleasing was the singing on the second day of 'V'chol ma'aminim" to the tune I really like. Unfortunately, I hadn't finished my own amidah at that point, so I couldn't join in, but I had stopped my own tefillah for kedushah anyway, so I just kept paused so I wouldn't have to daven through one of my most favorite newer tunes (ie, not one I've heard since childhood).
Second day I started at Tehillah again, because it felt right to help with the minyan, and realized I was in the right place for my davening, so I didn't go to the Tremont mechitzah minyan until after Tehillah finished. Since I'd heard when they finished first day, I was pretty sure they'd run later than Tehillah second day. I had time to go home and put stuff on the plata, and they were still in musaf repetition. Of course, they have a kiddush in there, too. I stopped by only briefly, so I'd have more lunch prep time, and as I left, had a disconcerting moment, with the sounds of R"H davening on one side of me, and a large-ish picture of the pope (JPII) with his crucifix on the other. Too strange.
I was lucky enough to be invited out for a number of meals. Additionally, they were timed/placed such that I got in a decent amount of walking every day, which was great.
Second day lunch went rather differently than I'd expected: we bentched because someone had to get to minchah, and one guest left when I headed off to Shabbat dinner. Which was rather wonderful (conversation just flowed that comfortably and easily), though a long day, too. In general, meals turned out to be wonderful, each of them small enough (in numbers of adults, anyway) and comfortable enough that there was excellent conversation, whether about the Cambridge minyanim or politics at a university or Burning Man experiences or books or teaching or travel or... Also, I was served some very yummy food. Particularly outstanding (at different meals): cylinder of roast beast, cauliflower-bleu cheese soup, a mashed winter squash in phyllo thing, pineapple salsa, gluten-free chocolate chip-banana muffins.
Shabbat was less intense than R"H, but almost as full, with a houseguest and an afternoon class and a long walk. The class was for people who'd like to read their aliyah from the Torah on Simchat Torah (when everyone gets called to the Torah (all males in traditional Orthodox minyanim)). I'd seen email about this before R"H, but never got around to replying, with all else that was going on, and I wasn't sure that I'd get there. But I mentioned it Thursday night, and one of my hosts, the teacher, was very excited, since no one else had replied either. Which was just enough incentive to get me to leave my lunch in time to get there. I was particularly glad I did because no one else had shown up, so I got personalized instruction :-). We went over a number of the aliyot, and I realized that I have most of the 'big,' noticeable trope down, while the smaller, regular joiner type trope are harder for me. I don't know why that is. I do know that one of the last times I read Torah was on Simchat Torah as an undergrad, and I froze some, and had to keep going up and repeating and freezing up and in general having a horrible time. My Hebrew's better than then (though most of these aliyot aren't the easiest), at least. I haven't decided whether I should take the same aliyah that gave me trouble back then, as a fixing/completion to that, or another one would be enough to feel I'm competent to do this. Also helpful: having worked with the sofrut alphabet, so the letters are that much more familiar. Now I have to put in the practice time, to make the words familiar, the trope familiar, then jump to the other column in the photocopied pages of the tikkun (a book that has the Torah text printed with vowels and cantillation in one column, and as it appears in a sefer Torah in the other (ie, no vowels, no cantillation marks, no punctuation marks).
All in all, a good start to the year.
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no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 03:44 am (UTC)Leining: nifty! Which aliya are you doing?
I find munach (when not in the middle of et nachta or katon) hard. It's this random little "could be anything" trope at the beginnings of phrases, and I'm prone to getting them wrong. It's kind of a weird one; it probably has more forms than any other ta'am.
One thing I noticed when learning the beginning of B'reishit recently -- the third day of creation has some weird trope. Like a katon clause that doesn't actually have a katon -- it's mapach pashta rivi; what's that doing there? And there are a couple other unexpected ones too. I kept thinking, while learning it, that just as the world wasn't fully formed on day three, maybe the te'amim weren't either. :-)
no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 02:07 pm (UTC)Leining: not sure yet; I still have the flexibility to choose once I learn them a bit better (or at least one a lot better :-).
Exactly about munach!
I hadn't noticed that about day 3 before. I wonder if there are commentaries that use the oddness of the trope to fit in some interesting midrash...
no subject
Date: 2007-09-18 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 06:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-19 01:19 pm (UTC)For me, Tehillah is small enough that it feels more inclusive, irrespective of actual practice. The one Shabbat I was at Shira Hadasha, it was so huge that it was rather overwhelming.
PS
Date: 2007-09-19 01:26 pm (UTC)