The Wandering Rabbi

I was really fatigued yesterday - so fatigued that I fought to stay in town to hear Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shlomi speak at the Reform synagogue, Kol Haneshama.

"Do you really have to go?" asked Hubby, who'd much rather have me back home so I could conjure up a homemade meal.

"Yes, because he never comes to Israel and this saves me a trip out to Boulder, Colorado to see him."

I think he was satisfied with this and didn't press me any further. Although I have never been a rebbe groupie before, I have admired the Lubavitcher Rebbe and even joined his movement while he was still alive, from 1984 - 1995 (the year we came to Israel). Then I felt spiritually aimless for a while and got myself involved in these non-political, spiritual peace movements, where little by little, I found out there is this small enclave of peace and light workers, thinking very much the same as I do. A nice group of Wandering Jews. And when I spoke to them, they all told me they had studied under this Rabbi Zalman Schacter-Shlomi - the head of the Jewish Renewal movement.

This Rabbi was not afraid to explore Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, etc. and incorporated some of their stuff into one form of practice or another of Judaism - perhaps because those parts didn't contrast with our religion. I never heard of renewal, but it sounded good, and it sounded much of what I had been thinking about lately.

I remember speaking to someone at an interfaith gathering about how I felt bad and hurt that Orthodox Jews look at Jesus like an evil being, and don't even like to speak his name. "But he was Jewish!! Don't you think that Ahavat Chinam (Baseless Love) extends to him too? Aren't you just slightly amused at all these millions and millions of Christians worshipping this ancient Israeli Jew? Wasn't the Temple destroyed because of hatred towards each other. And didn't the Old Boys Club running the temple in Jerusalem hate Jesus because they felt threatened because he looked at things differently and pushed their buttons?"

The recipient of my tirade looked at me and said - "You have a point there. Reb Zalmen even calls him Reb Jesus."

Reb Jesus. Ha. I believe I found a new spiritual mentor.

I wanted to meet Reb Zalman and learn from him directly, but he is getting on in years and I was told he doesn't travel to Israel any longer. However, his son got married last week and he was coming for that and made one speaking engagement. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

I got to the synagogue 1/2 hour early only to find the place starting to fill up. The audience was colorful - the funkiest crowd in Jerusalem - wearing colourful clothing and robes and headgear. Where do they buy this stuff? I felt I dressed appropriately too in my turquise bell bottoms and flowered top with a Yemenite embroidered shawl wraped over my shoulders. I was busy hugging all the people that I knew because this crowd is a very huggy-kissy crowd. Everyone smiled at everyone -even if you didn't know them. So while I was hugging Michele, who was leaving back to New York, I saw a pretty woman who looked familiar. She looked at me too. Then we both screamed so loudly that the hundreds of people who were there became silent. She was one of my closest friends during my teenage years in NYC and we had lost each other's numbers. Not even Google could help in our search for each other. She was a Professor at Brooklyn College and was on sabbatical and in Israel for a month. She was also fatigued having had 3 hours of sleep and forced herself to be here and look what fighting fatique to come to hear Reb Zalman did for the both of us. It's nothing but a miracle.

I sat in the first row, directly opposite Reb Zalman. I wanted our souls and energy to touch, feeling if you sit directly opposite, it was more bound to happen. He said he wasn't prepared for any particular speech and we should spend a minute meditating on what we would like to hear. I closed my eyes and thought "I'm empty and ready to receive anything from you." So he opened up by talking about creation -the Hebrew word for creation is "borah" - and how the word "pit" which is "bor" is derived from "borah". Something has to be empty in order for creation to take place. Looks like our souls did connect and continued to connect throughout the evening. He was humorous and deep - sometimes too deep for me - but not most of the time. He told stories of the Dalai Lamah and Camp Ramah. I was sad when it all ended a bit over an hour later and I hate lectures usually. He blessed us to be able to bless each other and made us do it right then and there. I blessed Michele and Hannalisa and got their blessings in return.

That evening was a double bonus - being reunited with an old, close friend, and a Rabbi whom I never met, but whom I felt I knew all my life.