Shabbat is a time for weekly reflection, observance, and relaxation. I definitely needed the last of these three things after jumping through many hoops trying to find a Shabbat service to attend this past Friday evening. Although I mentioned in my last post that I would be taking a look at Liberal Judaism, the temple that I had planned to attend, The Congregation of the Sons of Israel in Chambersburg, PA, was in the midst of finding a new rabbi as their current rabbi was leaving and thus was not having any services this Friday.
Thus, I contacted the rabbi at B'nai Abraham, a Reformed temple in Hagerstown, MD, about the possibility of attending a Shabbat service and asking him some questions. Unfortunately, and by sheer coincidence, he also happened to be leaving the congregation, and thus I would not be able to attend that service either.
Finally I found a small Jewish meetinghouse called the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life, located on-campus at Dickinson College in Carlisle, and which held weekly Shabbat services during the summer. Thus I contacted a woman named Ethel, who told me they would be happy to have me come.
The service started at 7:15 p.m., and I arrived a little early. In the meantime, I admired the ornate buildings that adorned the college grounds. I had always wanted to visit Dickinson, mostly in order to observe their sustainable and agricultural enterprises, such as their 50-acre certified organic farm, the website for which can be found at the following address:
http://www.dickinson.edu/about/sustainability/college-farm/
The visit, however, is worth it simply to see the beautiful college grounds, and I intend to go back to observe more of Dickinson and its environmentally savvy endeavors.
As the house was currently empty upon my arrival there, I waited on a bench on the front porch until a woman named Emily, a Jewish convert who was raised in the Christian Methodist tradition, came and invited me in. As we talked in the downstairs foyer more of the congregation arrived and we made our way up to a small sanctuary on the second floor which could probably fit no more than perhaps 20 people. The congregation size was very small, being no more than about 10 persons, most of them older, and as such departed an informal ambience to the whole affair. Noticing a box of spare head coverings, I asked if I should wear one, and was told that there was no need, and that in fact in Reformed Judaism, of which the Milton Asbell Center affiliated itself with, wearing a head covering during services is not required.
The Milton Asbell Center for Jewish Life at Dickinson College
Judaism can be considered to have four main sects - Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, and Reconstructionist. I was told that Reformed Judaism was a response to a sterile rigidity of interpretation of the law and to commitment to ritual that resulted in a departure from much Jewish tradition and custom. For example, the inclusion of English or other native languages in exchange of the traditional Hebrew during services, the institution of female rabbis, the optionality of head coverings and of keeping kosher, and the optionality of keeping the Sabbath. I was even told that some early Reformed temples imitated Christian churches, with organs and choirs, more than they resembled their orthodox counterparts. The Conservative sect was a response to the Reform movement due to what was perceived as an over abundance of liberal renderings of Judaism and thus tried to find middle ground between Orthodoxy and the Reform movement. Reformed Judaism, however, began a move back to tradition after the events of the Holocaust, in what would be an effort to conserve Jewish heritage after their persecution.
Concerning Shabbat, it is the name for the Jewish Sabbath day and is typically celebrated on Friday night and extends until Saturday night. It recalls the significance of the Lord's day of rest from his creation and the Lord's command to observe the Sabbath day in the beginning of Exodus: 35. The Shabbat service was lead by Emily and started with the lighting of two candles which represent the call to reflection and observance. There was no rabbi, a rabbi not being needed to conduct the service, at least to my knowledge of the Reformed tradition. After this and throughout much of the service was singing in Hebrew, and sometimes in English, which consisted of recitations from the Torah or the Hebrew Bible which praised and blessed God, affirming his position as the one and only God of the universe. At one point during the beginning of the service we also faced the entrance of the room in order to welcome the Shabbat "bride." This nuptial metaphor for the welcoming of Shabbat is associated with the Jewish song we sung called "
Lekhah Dodi" which means "come my beloved" and which addresses the expectation of the coming of Shabbat in the form of a bride. This was written by the Jewish rabbi and kabbalist, a Jewish mystic, Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz.
Another unique part of the Shabbat service is an asking of the angels to come and abide within the sanctuary where the Shabbat service is being held. Thus one can entertain the awe-inspiring conception of angelic beings intermingled with the congregation who are also gathered to join in the worshipping of God. Later is a silent recitation of prayers, followed by a discussion based on the
parshah, or the weekly Torah portion. Because the Torah is read throughout the year, it is divided into 54 separate readings, one for each week, which coincide with the Hebrew calendar, which is a lunar calendar. This was lead by a woman from the congregation named Deanna. Part of her discussion focused on the Israelites journey through the desert and the Moabites cursing of the Israelites. The Israelites relationship with Moab is an interesting one in that they are actually related through Lot, Abraham's nephew, who was subjected to drunkenness and subsequent intercourse by his daughters, thus begetting the lines of the Moabite and Ammonite peoples through incest. Later, Israel and the Moabites enter into fighting with each other, described as Deanna as "fighting within the family." Ruth, a woman who is also a Moabite, seems to be the exception to the evil depiction of the Moabites and is even an ancestor of King David and therefore of Jesus, as well. Thus it was discussed how the Israelites were in a way fighting amongst themselves when it came to their relationship with the Moabites.
In a similar way I found my own relationships to members of this community where before similarities had not been evident. A few people in the congregation were not actually Jewish, but considered themselves Christian, with one being Episcopalian and one being Catholic. Deanna was also an adjunct professor at Lebanon Valley College, with which I am very familiar since I have taken courses there. Another woman there was coming within a couple of weeks with a group of school-aged children to visit the farm on which I work.
These general commonalities are a good example of what I think one person could find amongst any other given enough time to know the other person. It is a good example of human interdependence and connectivity and reminds us that although we all have our own individuality we are also all related in some way.
Additionally, I believe that it is important for Christians, and also to a degree for Muslims, to recognize and acknowledge our shared history with the Jews. Jesus, or Yeshua, was brought up in a Jewish society and was familiar with the Hebrew tradition, texts, traditions, and myths, and therefore I think that for Christians to be able to understand the Old Testament within our tradition and to understand Jesus, we must be willing and eager to understand Judaism, as well. Without it, we can never fully understand that which we call "Christianity." For followers of other religions, it is also important to understand Judaism since it is one of the world's oldest and longest surviving religions.
The service also included the
Aleinu song, at which point the ark is opened so that the Torah can be seen. The service also included the
Kiddush cup and the sharing of the
challah, or a bread that is shared amongst the community. From past Shabbat experiences, I remembered that typically the community all drinks wine from the same Kiddush cup. Although the cup was present at this service, we did not all drink from it, but we all shared the delicious challah bread after the service ended.
The members of the community were then gracious enough to invite me to dinner, which I accepted, and which with my grateful appreciation they also paid for.
Ethel told me that Judaism is like Christianity in that we both have our "holiday church-goers." Whereas in Christianity these are those who go to Easter and Christmas services, in Judaism it is those who go to Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Yet the fact of the matter is that Shabbat is actually considered to be the most holy time of the year. Judaism accounts for time in a way that sets aside certain times as holier than others.
In Jewish, the word for holy means separate. Thus, Shabbat is a time that is separate from the rest of time - a time that could be considered to be on a different plane of existence where one is closer to the spiritual realm and the spiritual realm is closer to our mundane one. Thus it is important to take advantage of this by means of reflection and relaxation. It is also a gift in that it relinquishes one from worries of mundane work and daily problems and encourages pursuits related to one's family, friends and most importantly to God.
We of other faiths can learn a lot from this type of observance, especially for those of us who do not take time to slow down and are always looking toward future pursuits. Shabbat helps me to reconsider my own Christian celebration of the Sabbath on Sunday and that I should slow down and take time to pray and seek God, especially in my family and in those around me. It also prepares one's self for the week to come by giving a spiritual fortress of peace that they can impregnate themselves within in regards to the coming of the stormy and impermanent qualities of everyday life.
I enjoyed my time at the Milton Asbell Center and would like to come back in September when the students at Dickinson are in session and conducting their own services there. Perhaps then I can take the time to look further into what, being of the younger generation and thus my peers, those who are young Jews think of their religion and spirituality.
I encourage you all to check out Dickinson College and the Milton Asbell Center for Jewish life if you are able and to also attend a Shabbat service where you can take time to reflect and relax.
Shalom,
Matt