Yom Kippur - yom ofanaim??

Rosh Hashanah was not so meaningful for me this year. I had a hard time getting into the holiday, as i mentioned before. The main reasons were that the first minyan that i went to had no spirit, no yirah, there was no power there. I was also overwhelmed a bit by the 4 3-5 hour meals that i had over the course of two days. it was wonderful company, but seriously it was eat, pray, sleep, eat sleep, pray. it was intense. i was determined to be in a better state for yom kippur.

i did slichot, a service done from about a week before rosh hashanah until yom kippur where we ask for forgiveness for our less then stellar behavior, most days. I did some study by myself about the chag (holiday). I spoke to friends and family and spent hours asking for forgiveness and making amends. I tried hard, me says. It worked, as far as i can tell.

I went to services on erev yom kippur and was pleasantly suprised by my minyan selection. I went to something called the Lieder Minyan. It was crowded, but i got there early enough that i could get a seat within earshot of the chazan. The prayers were said slowly and powerfully. I had no trouble following along and participating. My studying paid off because i wasnt lost while i was davening...i didn't feel entirely comfortable but i did feel ready and able to humble myself and accept and admit my vices, my less proud moments...i find it hard to say the word sin...but i suppose that too. The minyan is known for being one of the more intense in jerusalem. They go on and on...leaving in most of the piyutim (liturgical poems) that are optional...i cant think of the great words to describe it but it was very moving. It is also known as a "hippie minyan", and i am sure that my students last year would be ecstatic to know i went to such a thing because they insisited (some of them:) on calling me the hippie fellow...oy. my fast was difficult, and i only made a half fast...my body can't work like that i tells ya. it was also right across the street from my home, which was an added bonus. Now, i have to tell yall something that happened that day outside of shul - i am sure will stay with my longer (whether or not it should be so...) than my specific thoughts, words, or cavanah (intention) while praying on this yom kuppur. I don't mean to diminish the weight and power of yom kippur...it is the holiest day of the year, but on my walks home from shul i saw things that encapsulate the idea of yom kippur, i think, in Israel.

I walked out of shul erev chag (night od the holiday) to find the streets filled with people. No cars on the road. None. (For better or worse) It is illegal to drive o Yom Kippur. The city stops. It breaths deep and cars literally stop. I thought this was only the case in Jerusalem but a friend in Tel Aviv told me that it is also the case there. No matter if israelis are secular or religious they all experience an entire shift in the country. All the stores are closed - not even a chinese restaurant like christmas, mom and pops! It was wild! It was something that someone living outside of israel can ever experience really. As this place becomes my home i become more and more accustomed to its ways, but this shook my back out of this growing familiarity into new ground once again - in a very pronounced way. It wasn't a negative feeling to be shaken loose from my tenuous comfort...releaving more...i don't want to stop being amazed and observant of this bizzare and beautiful place. And so Yom Kippur has another name that only applies to the holy land - yom ofanaim - day of bicycles. They are all over - bikes, skateboards, skates, everything - everything except cars.

There was one point where i took a break from davening and went outside for a stretch. I was standing on the median of the road when i started to hear a slowly approaching hum. It got louder. And louder. Suddenly i started to see what was making the noise coming down the hill - dozens of skaters on their boards travelling like a flock of birds. Their collective got louder and closer to me and i watched them speed by me. A flock of Jewish skaters taking advantage of the free roads while most everyone was sleeping, praying or spending time with their loved ones. I am not sure if many other people would think so, but i thought it was startiling and unexpected beauty on my day of atonement.

Next installment (hopefully later tonight?): You all may know Chava the songleader, Chava the teacher, Chava the bus driver, Chava the this-that-and-the-other. But now I've gotta tell you about Chava the farmer?!?!?!?!

writing these things is important to me so all you distant-close people will know what is happening with me...but it sure does make me miss you big. Hugs, Laughs, Good Spirits.