I spent two days in Dublin, Friday and Saturday, in the most beautiful neighborhood, called Rahthgar. This once small village that stood separate from Dublin City seems now to be a continuation of it. But once you walk around you find it is a distinct town, with neighborhoods of tree lined streets and beautiful Georgian and Victorian homes. I stayed in a small European type hotel with 18 rooms. The innkeeper is an American woman who has been in Ireland for 22 years. She went there to sing, fancy that, and ended up staying, marrying and raising a family.
As you know my goal in going to Dublin was to connect with the Dublin Jewish community. I am doing my elective study in Jewish ritual chant and with a help of a lovely woman, Melanie Brown, who is doing her own doctoral study of the music of this, her home community, I was introduced to everyone I need to know to accomplish my mission and my assignments!
On Friday evening I attended the service of the Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation. This is essentially the Reform movement of Ireland and England as well. I have to say that everyone was warm and welcoming and that from the moment of entering the building, to the service,led by a visiting rabbi from London, to service structure and the melodies of the chants and hymns, I thought that I was back in my hometown of Coraopolis in the synagogue of my childhood. I so enjoyed the service and there was something so comforting about the familiarity and the ease in which I could follow and participate in the service. I made a connection with a lovely woman who I will visit with to discuss my projects and how she might help me.
On Saturday morning I attended the Orthodox service of the Teneure congregation, one town over,and still within walking distance or the hotel. This was an entirely new experience for me. This was a European Jewish orthodox congregation, where the woman sat separately in a gallery or balcony area overlooking the men. This is the congregation that Melanie grew up in and where her family attends. This is what is familiar to her. This congregation is not so extreme in its orthodoxy that woman are prohibited from joining in studies or socializing. It is just for the service that the separation occurs. Women sit in the balcony and only the married women where hats.
It turns out that this separation and sitting in the balcony was a fabulous experience to observe the service, every detail of it. I watched the men gather below. At first a few came in and took their seats that face the center of the space where this is a large raised bema, where essentially the whole service is conducted. Each man greeted those around him and then put on his white prayer shawl or tallit, taking care to fold it correctly so the blue stripes fell over their shoulders. Many men kissed the fringe of their shawls and said a short silent prayer; some did this by covering their faces with the shawl and then settling in for the service. It was very moving to watch this ritual. Once the 10th person arrived,in Judaism you need a minyan or 10 men,the service could begin.That was at 9 am.
I will not try to fill in the details of three hours of observations. I have done this in a journal and once my paper is done, if anyone wants to see I copy I will email it. It was really the reading of the Torah portion that was of special interest to me. There is great majesty and spirituality in the removal of the Torah scrolls (the first five books of the Bible) from the Ark. The Torah is carried by the rabbi or cantor or an honored member of the community through the sanctuary and to the bema where the scroll is unrolled and read. All along the way who ever would like can kiss the Torah by kissing his tallit and reaching out to touch the Torah with this kiss. There is great love for these sacred scrolls and the reading of the Torah is this centerpiece of the Jewish service.
The service was entirely in Hebrew and entirely chanted from beginning to end.
It was chanted by lay people and by the cantor in an ancient language, using ancient melodies that wash over you and envelop as if you are also wrapped in a prayer shawl.You don't need to know a word or sing a note. Just listen and be.
I was thinking as I was sitting and watching this service, that in years past I would have been resistant, anxious, and so frustrated that I could not actively participate. But that was not the case. As in every other service I have sat through since being in Ireland, I was totally open to the experience, and being in the role of the mostly passive observer. I didn't need to participate to enjoy the quiet, still time, which is what the Sabbath is about, or to enjoy the resonant voices of the men singing together, sometimes with lovely harmonies or sometimes in what seemed as clash individual melodies that resulted in occasional discord. All of this had a great familiarity, a sound that lives in my ears and seems to resonate with my soul.
I will be going back to Dublin in the next two weeks to finish the work for my field study. I will be meeting with the cantors of both congregations who are willing to talk with me, teach me, sing for me, and guide me into the chants of my own traditions. It was a lovely two days and I am looking forward to my next visit.
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