And then there was Shabbat...

Hello--sorry this is coming a day late! I was pretty tired last night so I put down some bullet points and saved the actual post for today--I'll post about today separately but shortly.

Where to start, where to start...

There are so many things about Shabbat here that are bizarrely different, and still others that are bizarrely similar, to those that I've experienced in America.  Shabbat also gave me the opportunity to gain a stronger understanding (surely still basic, but constantly growing) of the kind of Judaism the Abayudaya practice, and has complicated prior notions and ideas I have had about denominations, theology, and halacha (the system of Jewish living).

The service begins, a bit earlier than Shabbat, with Kabbalat Shabbat (the special prayer service which welcomes Shabbat) in the synagogue.  The siddur (prayer book) that is used is the traditional Conservative Sim Shalom, and while men and women sit separately (likely a result of Ugandan cultural norms more than a throwback to more traditional Conservativism) there is no mechitza (physical partition between men and women).  During Kabbalat Shabbat, there is festive singing in familiar and original tunes complete with instruments, after which the instruments are put away and candles are lit in the synagogue to mark the commencement of Shabbat, and the service continues with the traditional Shabbat maariv (the evening prayer).

The service, both at night and on Shabbat morning, contains both the usual prayers and some in Luganda.  Some are psalms, designated as such by an announcer at the front  (this, I just found out, is JJ Keki--the rabbi's brother, skilled musician, local politician, coffee co-op founder, among many other things) who also translates the rabbi's English sermons into Luganda.  My guess is a lot of the translations are his own doing, but I'll try to find out for sure soon!  Other Lugandan additions include a short prayer that is recited between aliyot (sections of Torah reading)--I don't know the words yet, but I'm hoping to find them out from the rabbi when I speak to him.

Participation by women is another interesting aspect of the service.  Aligning with Conservative custom, women participate in Torah reading and aliyot equally with men, and are counted for a minyan (a quorum of 10 needed to pray).  I do not recall, however, any women participating in other parts of the service, which may not be by design, but that is something else that I will need to investigate.

Following the evening service, the rabbi holds kiddush (customary blessing made before the Shabbat meal, usually on wine) in his house for guests, and after a few of his neices offer water for handwashing to all present, Hamotzi (the blessing on the bread) is made and challah is served.  The rabbi uses precious kosher wine brought over by various guests over the prior months, if he has (otherwise he makes kiddush on challah).

Shabbat morning services are followed by a more formal schedule for the whole community.  First, a class is held in Luganda pertaining to a different issues of alcohol or other substance abuse, and is attended largely by the community's men.  I didn't bother attending this, as it was for the community and given by the rabbi in Luganda, so I thought it would make most sense to sit it out and talk to some community member who had decided to do the same.  After that, however, the rabbi gives another short class, this one in front of his house, about an idea from the parsha (the weekly Torah portion read in synagogue) connected with a lesson for the community--another sermon, one might say.  This is a very interactive "class" in which he poses questions to those gathered, and guests and community members alike are invited to add to the conversation.  Following the class, the rabbi and his wife serve lunch to the whole community, coming from what are possibly world-record sized pots of cold rice and beans.

Shabbat becomes less formally structured after that, until havdalah (the ritual performed at the closing of the Shabbat), which is recited together by the community with all the relevant accoutrements, bringing a uniquely Abayudayah Shabbat to a close.

This is the basic outline of Shabbat--a couple of side observations:

I found it interesting how for some prayers the middle was clearly being skipped--like in America the first verse would be said aloud, then the last, but with only a few seconds in between, perhaps believable in a minyan trying to make its way as quickly as possible to Shabbat chulent, but less likely in a crowd where services are prized and vital and Hebrew literacy is iffy and certainly not that quick.  The emphasis seems to be mostly on the communal following of the service rather than the stating of all of the words.

I also found myself wondering how much the Abayudaya actually fit into the denomination which they have adopted, largely, it seems, because their rabbi was able to go to rabbinical school at a Conservative institution.  It is one which members of the community have claimed proudly to me, perhaps only because they think I, as an American, will find it meaningful, but it is also attached to misconceptions about the denomination--for instance, I was told (referring to weekday prayers)--"We only pray once a day because we're Conservative." Yet while this may represent an expression of Conservative practice, I am almost certain it does not reflect official Conservative halakha (which calls for the same 3 as Orthodox Judaism).  I do not mean to detract from his belief in this notion and its claim on practice--in every denomination, there is quite a span of practice--but rather that due to the Abayudaya's isolation from the Conservative community at large, they may not come from a pure American religious tradition but are rather Conservative-inspired, and are in fact embarking on their own, unique embrace of Jewish practice with intertwined roots of self-elected Old Testament tradition, local inspiration and a modern American paradigm.  (It also seemed somewhat unfortunate to me that the religious splits which define American Judaism had to so easily find their way here, but in an era of globalization I suppose such an occurrence could not be avoided.)

Other thoughts bounced around my head, as other observations made marked impressions on me, but I think I've kept your gaze long enough for this sitting.  Sorry that was a bit long (I'll try to keep them short from now on--but to be honest it could have been longer!)  

Thoughts about Sunday to come probably tomorrow, unless I get a second wind.  

Good night and happy Father's Day!