Reflection on Summer Session

What did we do after our first day of class? Saw Harry Potter..

Since it's November, and the rain has been falling for almost a week now, I'd say it's time for me to actually write a reflection on the summer session. 

On the whole, the summer was filled with 75% Hebrew ulpan (literally, "studio" but used normally as a class to learn modern Hebrew) with 25% other fun classes. It was a great introduction to the year ahead, and a fantastic way to start getting to know my other classmates and the city we're sharing. 

There were four basic elements to the summer session: T'filah (prayer) on Sunday morning, Torah Cantilation (how to chant from the Torah), an Introduction to Biblical History, and of course, Hebrew Ulpan.

Sunday starts with T'filah

I previously wrote about our first morning t'filah experience together as a class, but it's different to write about it now, after the fact. The summer services were their own ulpan t'filah where we learned how to engage with prayers. We learned the difference between weekday and shabbat melodies, and now, all of my classmates and I can chant the weekday nusach (chanting melodies). Sometimes, I wish we still had that and learned more during t'filah, but that's a post for another day :).

Cantilation

In this class, we learned how to chant from the Torah. We learned all about the different signs and now, I can chant from a chumash (book of Torah) with about 75% confidence (there are still some sign combinations that trip me up). It may seem like a basic thing, but learning things like this is why I wanted to come to Rabbinical school. I didn't learn it as a kid, it's a skill I'm going to need to use a lot in the future, and now I'm learning it. Full circle, and success!

Biblical History

This was one of these classes where if you were previously firm in your belief that the whole Tanach (Torah, Prophets, and Writings) was written by the hand of God, after this class, you probably no longer held that opinion. I was lucky enough to be in a section with an incredible scholar named Joel Duman. I wrote about this class earlier in the year as well, and the message is still something I ask myself long after the class ended: How important is history for us? The take-away from this class was that when I read the Tanach, nearly every line needs to be followed with, "well, maybe." The Jews were actual slaves? Well, maybe. Josiah was the best king the Israelite nation ever had? Well, maybe. God didn't want David to build the Temple? Well, maybe. It was an incredibly fascinating class that has opened my eyes to the question of the purpose of Tanach. At the same time, though, my faith in its lessons, and my disdain for those that dismiss those lessons just because the Tanach is not 100% literal truth, has grown exponentially.

Ulpan

Here was the most oft-asked question I received from friends and family back home: So, has your Hebrew improved? My response: Well, imagine working on a skill fro 5 hours a day, 5 days a week. If my Hebrew isn't better, I'd better get a refund! The class was great and I did learn a great deal. I think my Hebrew has improved, but there is still a great deal of work to go. While we still do take Hebrew, the summer was great because of how much time we got to spend just working on Hebrew. 

As for my normal Fall schedule? Well, you'll just have to stay tuned! :)

Shavua tov!