Today I bring you another World Religions field trip update, this time to the Synagogue. The day we went there was a bar mitzvah going on, which made it more interesting.
The service was primarily in Hebrew, and although the prayer book had both Hebrew and English, it was difficult to follow along as there was no way to track the Hebrew. Also, the Rabbi read (or recited) very quickly, although things were slower when the congregation joined in. For the most part, the readings and prayers were done in a sing-song type chant, sometimes more “sing” and sometimes more “chant.” The Rabbi did explain what was happening and what page to turn to in English; also, some of the prayers were in English, although they switched back to Hebrew for the prayers for Israel and the Israeli Liberation Federation. Matan, who was doing his Bar Mitzvah, also did a speech in English about his Mitzvah project as well as an explanation his Haftorah (since it was right before Purim, he read Samuel 15:2-34, about the Amalekites; he explained that the story means that we all need to kill the Amalekite within each of us “not all Amalekites are bullies, but all bullies are Amalekites”).
There was great respect shown for the Torah. It is kept in an ark behind a curtain and is covered in a velvet cloth. When it was brought out, it was carried down one side of the congregation and up the middle; when it was put away, it was carried down the other side and back up the middle. As the Torah passed, people reached out and touched it with their prayer books or the tassels of their prayer shawls (only a very few people touched with their fingertips); afterwards, the people kissed whatever had touched the Torah. After the reading, they held the scroll up and turned around; then certain people from the congregation came up to help cover it again. The reverence shown for the Torah made it seem like an idol, like they worshiped the object itself, to the point of not actually touching it. It is God’s words, but it is the words that are important rather than the scrolls.
After Matan read the first portion from the Torah, there was great joy in the congregation, with singing and clapping; the singing seemed to consist primarily of “Mazel Tov!” The Rabbi also threw candies at Matan to wish him a sweet life. After the reading of the Torah, Matan and the others from his Mitzvah class in some of the prayers.
The Shabbat service at the Synagogue was interesting, although sometimes hard to follow (some of the readings were transliterated so it was possible to follow along; for the rest, it helped to watch someone else to know when to turn the page). Many of the readings were familiar, especially the ones from the Psalms and the Levitical blessing. In form, it is much like a service at my own church, except with more Scripture being read and without hymns (although they do sing a lot of the readings). It is much longer, however; we left after two hours, when they started the announcements.
Showing posts with label field trips. Show all posts
Showing posts with label field trips. Show all posts
Sunday, 11 April 2010
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
The Mosque
For World Religions, I was supposed to visit 3 different religious services. One of my first choices was a mosque. I'm interested in learning about Islam as I'd like to one day be a missionary in a country like Pakistan.
It's a very good thing that the prof was willing to accept visiting a place of worship outside of a service if that was all we could do, since visiting the mosque had a lot of complications. First, I was told by a friend (who talked to a friend) that we wouldn't be allowed to attend a service at a mosque because we aren't Muslim. I later learned, however, that this restriction only applies to certain types of Muslims. Two of my teachers are Muslims and they said that of course we would be welcome at the mosque close to where I work. The ladies would all be happy to see us, and would ask questions, and when they found out why I came, they would tell me all about everything.
They also told me that Friday prayers were they best time to visit; Friday is their holy day and before prayers there is a sermon. Unfortunately, they also said that Friday prayers start at 11:30, which is when my friend and I were waiting outside the mosque. Alone. Finally someone showed up and went inside, so we followed.
Here is what we learned that day: first, that we went in the men's door (we knew there were separate doors, but we didn't know what one to use); second, that prayers start at 1:00 (they were there early to get a good seat). We went home then, and weren't able to visit the mosque either later that day or any other Friday due to other obligations (like work).
I did talk to one of my teachers about the mosque and the service and how things are done. She said the men especially like to be early because the seats nearest to the front are also nearest to Mecca. There are lines on the floor so when you kneel to pray, you can line yourself up to face Mecca. The men and women are separated to keep the men from being distracted by the women as they pray. They used to have the men at the front and the women at the back, but when any men were late they had to step over and around the women and that didn't work so well. Now they are on different sides with a solid barrier (or a window with blinds); this is also nice for the women who can sit more comfortably if the sermon is long.
And that's my tale of visiting the mosque.
It's a very good thing that the prof was willing to accept visiting a place of worship outside of a service if that was all we could do, since visiting the mosque had a lot of complications. First, I was told by a friend (who talked to a friend) that we wouldn't be allowed to attend a service at a mosque because we aren't Muslim. I later learned, however, that this restriction only applies to certain types of Muslims. Two of my teachers are Muslims and they said that of course we would be welcome at the mosque close to where I work. The ladies would all be happy to see us, and would ask questions, and when they found out why I came, they would tell me all about everything.
They also told me that Friday prayers were they best time to visit; Friday is their holy day and before prayers there is a sermon. Unfortunately, they also said that Friday prayers start at 11:30, which is when my friend and I were waiting outside the mosque. Alone. Finally someone showed up and went inside, so we followed.
Here is what we learned that day: first, that we went in the men's door (we knew there were separate doors, but we didn't know what one to use); second, that prayers start at 1:00 (they were there early to get a good seat). We went home then, and weren't able to visit the mosque either later that day or any other Friday due to other obligations (like work).
I did talk to one of my teachers about the mosque and the service and how things are done. She said the men especially like to be early because the seats nearest to the front are also nearest to Mecca. There are lines on the floor so when you kneel to pray, you can line yourself up to face Mecca. The men and women are separated to keep the men from being distracted by the women as they pray. They used to have the men at the front and the women at the back, but when any men were late they had to step over and around the women and that didn't work so well. Now they are on different sides with a solid barrier (or a window with blinds); this is also nice for the women who can sit more comfortably if the sermon is long.
And that's my tale of visiting the mosque.
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