Hoshana Rabbah: Five "minyannaires," total
By "total," I mean males and females.
So we cheated. We didn't open the aron kodesh/holy ark or take out a sefer Torah (Torah scroll), but we did the seven circuits of the Hoshanot (explained here), with lulav and etrog in hand, anyway. Then we took the aravot/willows and beat them after chanting, "Kol m'vaser m'vaser v'omer."
We topped off the service with our last meal in the synagogue sukkah. With such a "crowd," it looked like, you should pardon the expression, the last supper.
Did I mention that we're a dying congregation?
I gotta find another place for Hoshana Rabbah services. But before anybody tells me to try the Carlebach Shul, just answer one question, please: Would they let a woman walk around the women's section with a lulav and etrog? Methinks I'd have better luck in that regard at a Conservative synagogue. There is, of course, the minor logistical problem that you could practically either kill a person or be killed, carrying a lulav on the subway during the morning rush hour. Alternatively, for your adventure of the day, you might be detained and questioned by the cops for carrying what might appear to them to be a weapon.
So we cheated. We didn't open the aron kodesh/holy ark or take out a sefer Torah (Torah scroll), but we did the seven circuits of the Hoshanot (explained here), with lulav and etrog in hand, anyway. Then we took the aravot/willows and beat them after chanting, "Kol m'vaser m'vaser v'omer."
We topped off the service with our last meal in the synagogue sukkah. With such a "crowd," it looked like, you should pardon the expression, the last supper.
Did I mention that we're a dying congregation?
I gotta find another place for Hoshana Rabbah services. But before anybody tells me to try the Carlebach Shul, just answer one question, please: Would they let a woman walk around the women's section with a lulav and etrog? Methinks I'd have better luck in that regard at a Conservative synagogue. There is, of course, the minor logistical problem that you could practically either kill a person or be killed, carrying a lulav on the subway during the morning rush hour. Alternatively, for your adventure of the day, you might be detained and questioned by the cops for carrying what might appear to them to be a weapon.
posted by Shira Salamone at 9:52 AM
2 Comments:
There were actually two women at my 6:05 am minyan today! But since we davened in the small beis midrash, with room behind the mechitza for maybe four folding chairs, there would hardly have been space for them to do circuits, even if such was done at O. shuls. Maybe they rotated in place? :-}
...you could practically either kill a person or be killed, carrying a lulav on the subway during the morning rush hour, or be detained and questioned by the cops for carrying what might appear to them to be a weapon
In my childhood shul they used to go outside and circle the building for hoshaanos on yom tov, much to discomfort of my father, who always hated to be conspicuously "frum-looking" in public. He would remark, half-jokingly, that passers-by will think the militant Jews are drilling with green rifles and yellow hand grenades.
On the plus side, at least you have a mechitza in the bet midrash. I've heard tales of women being turned away--even from traditional Conservative synagogues!--because they simply weren't welcome at morning minyan.
"green rifles and yellow hand grenades." What a bunch of peaceniks. :) :) :)
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