New Moons and New Years

I remember walking down the street in Jerusalem about three years ago. It was midnight, and it started to rain. It was the first day of the year that we started saying the prayer for rain, as opposed to dew. I felt super connected to the earth - as if there really was some method to this madness we call Judaism.

In general, I do not feel connected to a lunar calendar or a Jewish annual cycle. Sure, I appreciate meals with friends and/or family, and I even enjoy shul (though only the torah reading, really), but I could have Purim in the fall and Sukkot in the summer without getting too confused.

In Singapore, it's different. Though NO ONE in my life here is celebrating Rosh Hashana (my colleagues have NEVER heard of it, and there certainly wasn't a rush of people going to shul before yom tov), I can feel the vibe. The reason is the moon.

Tonight started Rosh Hashana - a new month, a new year. It also started Ramadan. It also ended the seventh month of the Chinese calendar, when all of the ghosts get let out of heaven (and it's a pretty bad luck month here, so ending is good...). Nearly everyone here is connected to the moon. That's cool.

On to Rosh Hashana...Matt is in KL for work, so I was alone. I went to the progressive services through UHC. They are held at the American Club ($15,000 to join, plus $600 application fee plus $300 per month...), and my friend, Ariella's dad is the rabbi. He has been coming with his wife for the past fifteen years for the high holidays - so he has outlasted 99% of this rotating ex-pat community. Though we have emailed, this is the first time we met, and he and his wife were wonderful.

The service itself was uncomfortable for me, since it was Reform, and I am simply not used to it, but it was really nice. People participated, the room was full, the text was reflection-provoking. In general, it was fine.

Halfway through, I felt the guy behind me pushing my chair. I was shaking - legs, machzor, and all. I started to get really annoyed - didn't he realize that I was moving? Could he please STOP? Then, the guy in front of me turned around and asked me to stop kicking and shaking his chair. Since my legs were nowhere near his chair, I was confused. Luckily, it was a not-so-halachik audience, and the guy next to me then got a message on his blackberry - there was a huge earthquake in Indonesia, and we were feeling the aftershocks. It was my first earthquake. I have to say that it was much longer than expected. There was enough time for me to get really annoyed at the guy behind me.

I stayed for dinner and met a whole bunch of great people. I left with a handful of business cards, which makes me nervous in the states but excited here. In the states, anyone who takes their business card too seriously makes me feel gross. Here, it means that I might have new friends.

In other news, the cat learned how to jump up on the couch to be pet by me. She also enjoys watching me type, though it makes her walk on the computer and need to be scratched by my typing fingers.

Shana Tova to all of you.
I definitely hope we/I don't have too many more holidays TOTALLY away from all friends and family (and husbands!). It's not the happiest of holidays, but as I have learned with tough times, life goes on.

In Judaism you're not allowed to pray for something that is already determined. Example - if you're driving to your block and you see a fire engine, you can't pray that it's not your house that is on fire. It either is or it isn't, and it has already been determined. If you are pregnant, you cannot pray that it will be a boy, because it is already determined. I won't pray that the people in Indonesia who are affected by the earthquake are okay, but I will hope that they are okay. I hope that it didn't affect too many people, and I hope it wasn't in terrible ways.

Enjoy your family meals, your brisket, chicken soup, hugs, friends and apples and honey!