Prayer – The Lisa Chronicles

torah For the past two years I have been celebrating the High Holidays at Beit Rayim Synagogue. It was the first time that our family attended services together, which made the experience extra special.

When it is time to take out the Torah’s for the Torah portion of the service, Rabbi Zionce has a special method for the fifth Aliyah of the service. For the other honours they are done in the Shule by a lottery system so more people can have the honour of the prayer. He saves one for someone in the sanctuary, maybe a new member, non-member, newly Bar or Bat Mitzvah.

I watched the crowd of about 1500 people on the first day and how people seemed shy to volunteer for the honour. Someone finally did and the service continued.

The second day when it came time to ask for volunteers, I found myself throwing up my hand. The Rabbi looked over at me and said sold to you, come up to the front seats. I think I shocked my mom (myself as well) but there I was, committed to being the fifth Torah honour that day.

Each time the prayers were read by the people ahead of me I said them as well awaiting my turn. I was working through the melody in my head thinking that I am not just saying to myself at my seat but to the whole congregation. I admit I was pretty terrified but what could I do, I had committed to it. When it was my turn I went up to the centre of the auditorium and kissed the Torah with the Cantor’s tallit and began to sing the blessings. Before I knew it, it was over. The fear before stepping up to the ‘stage’ was gone and out came my voice. I couldn’t really hear myself but my mom said it was a beautiful voice.

I walked back to my seat with my family. My mom smiled at me and gave me a hug and kiss. She was so surprised that I volunteered. I remember a scene in the movie We Bought a Zoo where the dad is telling his son that all you need is 20 seconds of insane courage and that is exactly the way it felt.

I know that my niece will become a Bat Mitzvah this coming February. I will be beaming along with her family and friends as she celebrates this special milestone in her life. Maybe I will have another opportunity to be blessed with the honour that was bestowed upon me this past Rosh Hashana.

This past week I was travelling. I had to connect through New York JFK airport on the way to my destination and on the way back. I will save the outbound journey for another post, because that is a story on its own. This post is reserved for the return trip through JFK airport.

Imagine being away from home, relaxing in a spot that I would say was a piece of paradise. It was my last morning, and I was up early and put the tv on. Something I normally don’t do when I travel because a lot of the time they don’t have American stations. This time, the Today Show was on.

I watched, as we all did, the horror unfold at the Har Nof Synagouge where the unspeakable massacre of four Rabbis occurred. As I watched the footage I was also on my phone as we had WiFi in the room and it was all over my social media feeds.

My friend and I talked about it over breakfast and then we had a few hours before going to airport to come home.

If you have ever connected through another city en route home from an international destination you know that you need to clear customs of that country, claim your bags, check them back in and then, in our case, hop on a shuttle to another terminal to catch our flight to Toronto.

We went through US customs, picked up our bags, put our duty free in our checked bags, and then proceeded to move through the airport at Amazing Race speed to our connecting flight.

As we came around the corner to take the elevator up one floor, I ran to the washroom. When I came out of the washroom I was stopped in my tracks.

There, in a small alcove was a group of Orthodox Jewish men (young and old) praying. Being that New York (and surrounding area) has one of the largest Jewish populations outside of Israel, it shouldn’t really have surprised me that they were there, praying, but it did.

The two of us just stopped. People were looking at them, and even some of the security staff seemed a bit bothered that they had been there for a half an hour, encroaching on their lunch break.

To me, it was comfort. It was comfort in knowing that people were there watching over me with their prayers. Watching over the families of the slain Rabbis and their families. I closed my eyes and said my own prayer and then we continued on. I don’t think I will forget that image in my mind for a long time to come. It was powerful.

Years ago my mother gave me a small laminated wallet sized card and it is a Prayer for Travellers. I carry it with me whenever I travel.

The prayer says:

“May it be your will, Lord our G-d, and G-d of our Fathers, to lead us in peace and direct our steps in peace. To guide us in peace, to support us in peace and to bring us to our destination in life, joy and peace. Deliver us from the hands of every enemy, and lurking foe. From robbers and wild beasts on the journey, and from all kids of calamities that may come to and afflict the world. Bestow blessing upon all in your eyes and the eyes of all who behold us. Bestow bountiful kindness upon us. Hear the voice of our prayer, for You hear everyone’s prayer. Blessed are You Lord, who hears prayer.”

Shabbat Shalom everyone. May you all have a peaceful and comforting Shabbat.

Amen.