Notes 10/23
Crazy, crazy times--why is it so hard to settle down and catch your breath? School, work, the remodel, classes, homework...
My wife said something that made me smile the other day after a ridiculously exhausting weekend: "this Shabbat thing isn't such a bad idea."
What she meant was, Shabbat observance is the reason to take a weekly time-out. For those who aren't familiar, It's like stopping time from sundown on Friday and re-connecting with what really matters until after sundown on Saturday. Of course it's much more than that, and my wife and I both particularly feel its pull in that regard.
Aside: one of my Shabbat candle holders recently cracked from what I can only imagine was a flawed design... I had to improvise with a Yarzheit candle at the last minute last week--shame on me. So I'm shopping around for a new set.
Back to Shabbat... Rabbi Zach Shapiro said it best during a Shabbat service at Temple Akiba in Culver City--one of the first I ever attended--and I'm paraphrasing: basically, our lives are constantly in motion, like a ball thrown up into the air, and then falling back down again. Repeat ad-infinitum. Shabbat is that unique moment of zero-momentum when the ball hangs for an instant in the air, it's neither climbing or falling; it's just hanging there in the moment, a brief respite from it's own inertia.
Aside: one of my Shabbat candle holders recently cracked from what I can only imagine was a flawed design... I had to improvise with a Yarzheit candle at the last minute last week--shame on me. So I'm shopping around for a new set.
Back to Shabbat... Rabbi Zach Shapiro said it best during a Shabbat service at Temple Akiba in Culver City--one of the first I ever attended--and I'm paraphrasing: basically, our lives are constantly in motion, like a ball thrown up into the air, and then falling back down again. Repeat ad-infinitum. Shabbat is that unique moment of zero-momentum when the ball hangs for an instant in the air, it's neither climbing or falling; it's just hanging there in the moment, a brief respite from it's own inertia.
There are tons of metaphors for Shabbat: the island of tranquility in a sea of chaos, the new bride, etc. -- but I love that description of zero-inertia. I need that in my life. However, getting to that place of equilibrium every week is the problem for me. While I don't see myself Shomer Shabbos anytime soon, I know that making this time special is a worthy goal. So every week, I'll try a little harder to incorporate observance.
Other things going on:
- www.JewsByChoice.org has been launched by some bloggers whom I find very inspiring. They are much more learned and articulate than myself on just about anything they write about--it's worth checking out!
- On that note, I am also enjoying Rabbi Jonathan Ginsburg's e-mail newsletters and videos.
- Game on! My "Intro to Judaism II" class has found enough participants. We'll be working through the Tanakh book by book over the next year, one night a week.
- My son wanted to say Shehecheyanu when he aced his spelling test last week (he's been struggling with spelling/writing). It was very cute.
- We'll be staying in a hotel this week because the dust will be out of control at the house while they sand the floors and apply some toxic substance to the finished plywood walls.. We found a cool little boutique hotel near El Segundo--we'll try and make it a mid-week vacation atmosphere :)
- My aunt and cousin were evacuated last night due to the San Diego wild fires... Scary stuff. Hope they'll be able to go home soon.
Oh, and the big news. Mikvah is coming up soon. Seriously. How about that?
