Shabbat Shalom

Peaceful Sabbath. Tonight I went to temple. A Temple in Gramercy. I went with a friend of mine and her 87-year old neighbor, Bob. [Background: Bob lives in my friend's building. He lost his wife about a year and a half ago and isn't really connected with a community. My friend and her husband have befriended and really poured into Bob this last year. He's Jewish, wanted to go to temple, my friend went with him, I tagged along.]

I have been to many different churches in my life, mostly all Christian. In fact, all Christian except for a Buddhist temple I went to about 5 years ago. Now that was an interesting service. But tonight, I want to talk about temple. (Apologies in advance for anything I may write about incorrectly regarding the Jewish faith--I mean no disrespect--I'm just not familiar. If you're able to correct me, please do!)

This Temple is a Reform Judaism Temple. Everyone welcome. And I felt very welcomed. We were met by a woman who showed us around and explained about the service, the building, events going on, etc. The building is gorgeous! It was redone when they moved to this location about six years ago. (The temple has been around for 60 years.) It was designed using stones and marble found in Jerusalem. The altar (not sure it's called an altar--this is where I need a little grace) faces east so the room is kind of on an angle, which makes for a very comfortable, intimate feeling. It had very unique lighting. Ten hand-blown glass fixtures representing the 'quorum' needed for a prayer meeting in the Torah. There were Hebrew scriptures carved in bronze on the walls. But one of the most stunning features were the bronze doors, behind which held the Torah. And the scripture above the doors read, in Hebrew, 'know before whom you stand.'

The service was beautiful. There was a small band (drum, keys, guitar, clarinet) and most of the service was music. The cantor (the woman who stood next to the Rabbi and led the singing in Hebrew) had a beautiful voice. Many in the congregation sang along. Singing in Hebrew is beautiful to hear. It is so rich to the ears and it touched my soul. There is such a history, pride, a heritage of the Jewish people that goes back so many generations that I could feel their deep roots in those songs. There were many times this evening where I was simply mesmerized by the cantor's voice.

All the while I couldn't help but feel Jesus' presence next to me. And very saddened that the others in the Temple won't acknowledge him. I kept wondering what temple was like for him as a young boy. I imagined him with his family singing songs of praise and worship to God his Father. I'm sure his experiences were different than mine tonight, but I'm sure, like me, he was with other Jews who shared a rich history with each other. I hope Bob again wants company, and I get to go back one week soon. Good night and Shabbat Shalom!