What Reading "The Rabbi" Books Did

 

When I was a young teenager, I was trying to figure out if I had any faith in anything or anyone. I traveled from church to church, attending bible schools and Sunday schools trying to see if anything fit. It did not. My parents had us attend Sunday school when we were small children, but were secular on the whole. As an adult, I did the same. 

Later, I tried again - I had young children then and wanted them to have some grounding in Christian religion, even if I wasn't feeling it. Ultimately, what ended up happening is the kids grew up secular Christians, and Christians by virtue only of their baptisms.

None of them practices any religion now. One is an avowed atheist, which I totally respect. 

Also when I was a young teenager, I read the books of Harry Kemelman, the first of which was Friday the Rabbi Slept Late. It was my introduction to Judaism. Rabbi Small deftly navigates the members of the synagogue board, recalcitrant congregants, and solved a mystery. The sing-song voice of the Rabbi using his mad rabbinic reasoning skills always saved the day. But the big thing I took away from these books is the Jews were to do good without hope of reward. That stuck with me. It wasn't something I practiced well all the time, but it resonated the way nothing else had for me religiously. 

Over the years, I quietly investigated what it would take to become a Jew. Too much time and work for a busy mom of three with at least one and usually two jobs. I finally settled into myself. I finally returned home and started living a life that was not so fraught with tension. Now I had time. Was I too old, was I too not Jewish?  What would the Rabbi say to me?

Then one day a few months ago, I contacted our local synagogue and asked to start taking the Jewish 101 classes. I was asked to come to Shabbot services that Friday. I did and spoke to the Rabbi. I started taking classes and loved them. I started meeting people of the synagogue and they were so welcoming. For the first time since I arrived back in Iowa, I felt like I was going to have a community. It feels right and it makes sense to me when nothing else ever has.

My Hebrew efforts have sucked though. Being my age is a rough time to learn a new language - especially one with a crazy alphabet. My other learning has thrived. I love my Jew crew - my Wednesday class made up of both Conversoes (converting people) and members of the local synagogue and other area synagogues, learning about customs, holidays, traditions, rabbinic thought, the Talmud and the Torah.

If all goes well, I will go to Des Moines around September, prior to Rosh Hoshanah and be formally converted. I will participate in the ritual submersion of the mikveh, and become a Jew.