The Centre of the Universe

Today our temple (ok, it's my old place, but for the moment it is mine) held a simcha for inscribing the first panel of B'reishit (Genesis) in the sefer Torah commissioned in memory of a most wonderful gentleman. It was a momentous occasion. Of course, the simcha included the commissioning of the new sefer as well. I don't know how often this happens, but I do know that the labour is expensive and the occasion special. I was so disappointed because I missed the speeches and a large part of the scribe's informative talk on the mechanics of Torah calligraphy. The only facts I caught, besides noting his looooooooong greying beard, were that if there is iron in the ink, the lettering will turn red over time, and that the key to inscribing a sefer is patience.

Later we all, children and adults alike, got to ascend the stage and place our hand over the scribe's hand as he filled in the letters- each of us getting a single stroke. Too cool!!! And, of course, each of us has the opportunity, by buying a letter, phrases, parshas, etc., to fulfill the mitzvah of writing our own sefer Torah. I know of one gentleman who just bought "honour thy father and thy mother" from the Ten Utterances- wow! He said it was in honour of his deceased parents. I can't imagine such love and reverence for one's parents. He is such a blessing to them as they were to him, even though he felt that there was never enough he could do to honour them.

My friend L complained about people in front of her who were yakking . We remarked on the fact that at Simchat Torah more people were in the Social Hall than in the pews and on the aisles dancing with the Torah. In fact, I felt that the whole hakafot deal was perceived as a "quaint Jewish custom", with a lot of people holding back. And I am beginning to believe, from reading various J blogs that this may be true for Jews across the spectrum, though not so much "quaint" as a custom without meaning. If the reported drunkenness is anything to go by. L , who is not a Jew, said that if this is the way Jews comport themselves on such an occasion (new sefer), then we are in deep trouble. Mind you, she was having a bad day; she has an ear infection and was uncharacteristically cranky.

I guess I was too lost in the moment to notice. I am buying a word and had a hard time deciding. I also had a hard time deciding on whom to honour. I love the opportunity to honour others, especially those who have moved or inspired me. It occurs to me that tangible honours are also an easy avenue for someone to express their feelings for people who touch our lives, as we tend to be rather shy in expressing what someone means to us. I finally chose a gentleman in his 80's who still reads Torah at morning minyan and also leads davenning (duh, what took me so long???); I think the absolute world of him and it makes me nuts that I shall never be able to reach the heights in Torah reading that he has climbed. Interestingly, he refuses to add the Matriarchs to the Amidah at morning minyan, yet he is kindness and tolerance itself where the tallited and tefillined me is concerned. I am guessing he was skeptical at first. Luckily I had no idea, because he's a total class act, a mensch of the first order. Now I don't think there is much doubt in his mind as to my sincerity. Sometimes it pays to be clueless. Oh, I do want to be like him when I grow up!

The other honoree will be a kid who is becoming bar mitzvah in a couple of weeks. The landlady's kid. I don't even like him (or her). But I thought it was fitting- the bar mitzvah and the older gentleman...l'dor va dor, etc. What better connection. And it honours Torah and those who are linked with Torah in any way. I am pleased (can't imagine the kid will be though!).

Then, of course, I had to choose The Word. I thought of ohr because light is everything to me. Yet....I finally settled on Akeidah. Isaac's name is laughter. This may sound cryptic, but I understand it- the Akeidah which I lived and is central to my Jewish experience, and the laughter which seems so paradoxical given Isaac's experience. I think that when I look back on my life, I shall remember the Akeidah more than anything else. If I cannot choose that word, then I will settle for some variation of laughter. Or maybe ger, cause I have met a lot of strangers. This is getting complicated! I wish I were rich!

As for the simcha? It is funny. People may not have necessarily seemed as if the occasion touched them. And yet, there was joy and a lot of smiling faces. And the procession ascending to join one's hand with the scribe's hand and make a stroke to fill in a holy word said it all. At that moment, we were at the centre of the universe. Crossing the Sea of Reeds. Together.