FEATURED JOBS
So I’m sitting in synagogue on a recent Shabbat morning, the familiar and comforting prayers being chanted and my joining in as scripted.
Then I get up and leave.
Like I do every single week.
And as I do so, no matter what I tell the person sitting next to me, I know it might be some time before I get back in and ask the closest person, “Did I miss anything we didn’t do last week?”
What is it about going to synagogue that drives me and other regulars (including periodically the rabbi) into the hall to talk about matters both profound and trivial?
It is simply that synagogues attract like-minded people, ones who enjoy ritual and prayer as well as chatting with fellow seekers of the unattainable “understanding the purpose of life” thing. In some way, we are all there to connect with one another on our mysterious, strange journey. Yes, there are moments in services when I yearn for that deep connection to “God-thought” and Jewish heritage, when I do get lost in the prayer and my mind wanders through the ages of Jewish history. Admittedly, such experiences are rare. But they also are precious, which keeps me coming back for more.
People who do not go to synagogue regularly miss this. Mind you, they often don’t’ go for several understandable reasons:
*They don’t believe “that stuff.” I get it. As the middle school kids asked a few years ago when I was helping lead Junior Congregation, “Aren’t all the prayers the same? God’s great, God’s great. Why so many versions?”
*They don’t like “the show,” which of course can be shifted with a change in venue.
*They do not feel comfortable saying prayers they don’t understand, which can be addressed by the same way as above.
*They have other time obligations – errands, kids’ sports, etc. But life is about setting priorities. It ain’t easy to make commitments, but when we make our choices we shouldn’t complain down the road about their results.
*They just don’t like the clergy at their congregation. Again, it’s that shift in venue thing.
So why do I go? In part it’s because I like the congregants, the rabbi and the informal structure of services where I have my “fixed place.” But it all began because I have an admitted need to be part of something larger than I am, to have a sense of roots and to do so in a place where I can seriously question, learn and enjoy. (And yes, as friends know, I’m a big Kiddush fan, too; I’ve even grown to love pickled herring, which in younger years seemed as likely as my becoming a singer for that great odd rock group the B-52s).
And unlike some, I am not necessarily in synagogue out of a sense of religious obligation. Rather, I am there because I am quite unsure of the purpose of life and need a place to explore it and I cannot find a more logical, comprehensive, compelling framework than Judaism and the Jewish experience.
So if you haven’t been to synagogue or temple or shul (or your preferred label) in a while, as we lead up to Rosh Hashanah – particularly as the introspective month of Elul that leads up to it just began) – stop by a Jewish house of worship that fits your needs, particularly one that you have yet to experience. In Baltimore, you have more choices than someone at the Texas State Fair who asks if there’s any fried food on the premises.
And somewhere out in the hallway, I hope you bump into yourself.
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