Something else I did not realize

But only because I hadn't looked...

Both the Amidah and the Kaddish traditionally require a minyan.

I'm not sure how strict our rabbis are about having a minyan to proceed with the prayers, since I don't think I've ever been at a Torah study in which there weren't at least ten adult Jews present. I do know that one of the rabbis nearly started a service using the Torah scroll to stand in for one Jew, since only nine were there, and I do know our synagogue has a lay-led weekday minyan that does not require ten people to say the Amidah and Kaddish. I've been twice (it conflicts with my work schedule most of the time), and once there were five of us, and once there were three, but we didn't leave anything out.

From the Wikipedia Amidah article:

Interruptions

Interrupting the Amidah is forbidden. The only exceptions are in cases of danger or for one who needs to relieve oneself, though this rule may depend of the movement of Judaism. There are also halakhot to prevent interrupting the Amidah of others; for example, it is forbidden to sit next to someone praying or to walk within four amot (cubits) of someone praying.

*****

Clearly, this article is written from an Orthodox perspective. Maybe Conservative. Definitely not Reform...at least, not from our synagogue, where people wander in and out throughout the entire service, including the Sh'ma. I didn't even know about this halacha.

Although if anyone needs to relieve him- or herself at any point, I'm TOTALLY FINE with said person leaving and returning whenever. Truly.

And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety

Many people have posted Debbie Friedman's Mi Sheberach, which our congregation sings most weeks. So I thought I'd post one of my favorites instead...

Miriam's Song

A brief departure

So after this week's Torah study, I had a bunch of potential posts forming. Then I heard about Tucson; then I heard about Debbie Friedman (z'l). So the rest will wait.

May the memories of Christina Greene, Dorothy Murray, John Roll, Phyllis Schneck, Dorwin Stoddard and Gabriel Zimmerman be a blessing, and R'fuah Shlema to their families and loved ones, as well as to Congresswoman Giffords.

Every one of these deaths is a tragedy, but much coverage is going to the child*, the judge and the young Jewish man. CBS has an article touching on all six of the lives lost.

And R'fuah Shlema as well to the family and loved ones of Jared Lee Loughner, who must be just as horrified, baffled and devastated as the rest of us.

*Yes, I teared up typing that. There's a phone interview with her mother that I cannot even try to watch.

Parashat Bo 5771

(backdated, actually written 2/22/11)

The Plaut commentary on Parashat Bo suggests that the slaying of the first-born of the Egyptians and the sparing of the first-born of the Israelites sets up the tradition of primogeniture, and that that tradition is at odds with the frequency with which, in the Torah, God prefers a younger sibling to carry out His plan.

I'm not so sure the two are in direct opposition; Egypt mourned deeply but survives to this day. It seems to me that the Torah shows that primogeniture is often not the best determinant of merit.

(Spoken as an only child, mind you.)

Happy Goyische New Year!

This post from myjewishlearning.com discusses ways in which to make your secular New Year observance more Jewish. I've been thinking lately about how often we discuss the Jewish idea of separation; in fact, Rabbi H, our new(ish) rabbi, gave a Qabbalat Shabbat sermon this New Year's Eve about this exact topic. I'm trying to figure out the balance between separation and inclusion. As Reform Jews, we are encouraged to live in the world, while at the same time being sure to separate the holy from the mundane, Shabbat from the rest of the week, wheat from chaff...no, wait, wrong Bible.

I don't really make New Year's resolutions per se, but I do try to take an inventory and decide what to improve four times each year: January 1, mid-April (my birthday), early July (when C and I met) and, of course, the Days of Awe. That way, I don't feel like I have to wait a whole year and give up in the meantime.