R"H report
Sep. 20th, 2004 11:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
magidI tend to forget between times how time flows differently during a holiday. It stretches out calmly, but full, in a way Shabbat is not. The other place-time that this happens to me is at a con, though there it's much more frenetic, manic, not calming at all. Exciting, though. I like the slow time of chag, too. Somehow time seems more pliable, more filled with possibility, despite the halachic restrictions. There's time for flights of the mind, I suppose.
This year they set the room up differently, and I didn't like it. Necessary background: praying spaces are supposed to face east, towards Israel and Jerusalem. The room we use on the high holidays (not our usual space) is essentially a square, with the northeast corner cut off. Usually the ark is on the eastern wall, and we all face east. This year, they put the ark on the northeast diagonal wall. Each section (men and women) had an aisle down the middle. And the way the chairs were set up, some of the men faced east, then across the aisle the men faced northeast. On the other side of the mechitza, a section of women faced northeast, then across the aisle (where the more comfortable seats were), the women faced north. Ugh. I stood at the back of the women's section, which would've been the front any other year. It let me face where I wanted for the amidah, and it let me pace when I needed to. As a bonus, there was an upright piano that was the perfect height for resting my machzor on.
Services (other than the layout of the space) were good. I thought that everyone was pretty solid, though the one who led musaf the first day went more slowly than I'm used to. The ba'al tokea (shofar blower) was quite good.
Reminders for next year: drink a lot of water before services; I have a tendency towards dehydration when so much time is so ordered. Also, remember that comfortable shoes are extremely important if standing for all of repetition (plus Torah-reading). It doesn't matter what they look like if the feets are happy. Also, weigh lunch invitations carefully; it's harder to deal with a delayed lunch (aka breakfast) after long davening.
I looked at the program at services, and did a double-take: one of the kids I know is doing all the Torah reading on Y"K. Turns out it's his bar mitzvah. How can he be 13 already? I was just chasing him around kiddush and flinging him over my shoulder a little while ago! (OK, maybe not so little a while.)
I got to see glass pumpkins Friday. There was a tent set up in front of Kresge, sheltering tables crammed full of glass squash (most were pumpkins, but there were some summer squash and some other winter squashes). They were beautiful. Intense colors and color patterns, contrasting vine colors and textures, interesting shapes, calling out to be touched. Perhaps there will be a sale of useful glass objects (bowls, perhaps?) at a time when I could buy some.
So many people I haven't talked to in far too long. Must change that.
I made far too much food (surprise!). I need to figure out whether some of the leftovers should be frozen.
This year they set the room up differently, and I didn't like it. Necessary background: praying spaces are supposed to face east, towards Israel and Jerusalem. The room we use on the high holidays (not our usual space) is essentially a square, with the northeast corner cut off. Usually the ark is on the eastern wall, and we all face east. This year, they put the ark on the northeast diagonal wall. Each section (men and women) had an aisle down the middle. And the way the chairs were set up, some of the men faced east, then across the aisle the men faced northeast. On the other side of the mechitza, a section of women faced northeast, then across the aisle (where the more comfortable seats were), the women faced north. Ugh. I stood at the back of the women's section, which would've been the front any other year. It let me face where I wanted for the amidah, and it let me pace when I needed to. As a bonus, there was an upright piano that was the perfect height for resting my machzor on.
Services (other than the layout of the space) were good. I thought that everyone was pretty solid, though the one who led musaf the first day went more slowly than I'm used to. The ba'al tokea (shofar blower) was quite good.
Reminders for next year: drink a lot of water before services; I have a tendency towards dehydration when so much time is so ordered. Also, remember that comfortable shoes are extremely important if standing for all of repetition (plus Torah-reading). It doesn't matter what they look like if the feets are happy. Also, weigh lunch invitations carefully; it's harder to deal with a delayed lunch (aka breakfast) after long davening.
I looked at the program at services, and did a double-take: one of the kids I know is doing all the Torah reading on Y"K. Turns out it's his bar mitzvah. How can he be 13 already? I was just chasing him around kiddush and flinging him over my shoulder a little while ago! (OK, maybe not so little a while.)
I got to see glass pumpkins Friday. There was a tent set up in front of Kresge, sheltering tables crammed full of glass squash (most were pumpkins, but there were some summer squash and some other winter squashes). They were beautiful. Intense colors and color patterns, contrasting vine colors and textures, interesting shapes, calling out to be touched. Perhaps there will be a sale of useful glass objects (bowls, perhaps?) at a time when I could buy some.
So many people I haven't talked to in far too long. Must change that.
I made far too much food (surprise!). I need to figure out whether some of the leftovers should be frozen.