Missing from many Conservative Jews' observance
Why is it sometimes more difficult, if not impossible, to find a n'tilat yadayim (ritual handwashing) cup at a Conservative synagogue? Many Conservative Jews don't do n'tilat yadayim before making a motzi (praising G-d for bread), even where a washing stand is available. And I've yet to see a n'tilat yadayim cup in a Conservative synagogue's ladies' room.
posted by Shira Salamone at 9:07 PM
11 Comments:
From my experience, I never learned n'tilat yadayim until I was in college (Brandeis) with Orthodox Jews. Then, everyone, Reform, Conservative and Orthodox did n'tilat yadayim.
Agreed. At the C shul I grew up in, the current Rabbi does kiddush and motzi from the bimah before everyone goes down to eat the kiddush. Bread is present at the kiddush. The last time I went there I waited for everyone to head back for the kiddush, then quietly walked up to the bima and washed.
This does give me a hint why this C shul doesn't encourage washing before Shabbat morning kiddushim - there are usually a couple of hundred people there, more if there is a bar/bat mitzvah.
Jendeis, it sometimes seems to me that more people observe more traditions when there's a sizable Orthodox contingent present.
Larry, your parents' Conservative rabbi is already ahead of some--I've seen kiddush and motzi done from the bimah without benefit of n'tilat yadayim in between.
I agree that it's a logistical hassle to have hundreds of people do a ritual handwashing before motzi. But that doesn't seem to stop the Orthodox, who simply set up numerous n'tilat yadayim stations to shorten the wait. Some years ago, a former rabbi of ours told us that one of the reasons why he decided to send his kids to an Orthodox day school despite being Conservative was that the local Solomon Schechter School made no provisions for children to do n'tilat yadayim before lunch, their approach being that those who wished to do so could always wash in the bathroom. "What do you mean, 'Those who wish to do so?,'" he wondered. "If this school is serious about Jewish observance, n'tilat yadayim shouldn't be optional! Why isn't there a whole line of n'tilat yadayim stations along the cafeteria wall?"
I agree that it's a logistical hassle to have hundreds of people do a ritual handwashing before motzi. But that doesn't seem to stop the Orthodox, who simply set up numerous n'tilat yadayim stations to shorten the wait.
The local Sephardi shul uses mezonot bread(*) at kiddush lunches. Apparently this is more common among Sephardim - certainly my Ashkenazic sources tend to frown on such things.
(*) Bread made using fruit juice instead of water
See the comments to my Faux Judaism: Some further thoughts post--Miami Al seems to be of the opinion that Ashkenazim do n'tilat yadayim whether the bread is "real" or mezonot.
To be precise, many Ashkenazi authorities say that there is no such thing as a mezonot roll. See The Laws of B'rachos by Rabbi Forst or Rabbi Luban's post for the OU.
The rule is that there is no such thing as mezonot bread for Ashkenazim if it is to be used as part of a meal. If it is to be a snack, opinions differ.
I agree, I don't ever recall seeing a kli for washing at the Conservo shuls I went to. At JTS they had 'em, but that's different. Every Ortho shul has 'em somewhere.
My experience has not been yours. I've belonged to 4 Conservative shuls in my lifetime. 2 very definitely had washing stations; I don't remember for sure about the other 2 (mainly because they very rarely had hamotzi kiddushes so the issue didn't come up as much).
Woodrow, I don't remember washing stands at my parents' Conservative synagogue, and there certainly weren't any at my former Conservative/Reconstructionist synagogue. My current local Conservative synagogue is the proud owner of five n'tilat yadayim cups (of which I think I donated at least one myself). My current favorite egalitarian Conservative synagogue can't make up its mind--they put out a pitcher and a bowl with paper cups, making it not entirely clear whether this is a washing station or a place to get a glass of water. I don't think I've ever seen a n'tilat yadayim cup in a Conservative synagogue's ladies' room, though--I suspect that many Conservative Jews don't even know that there's a ritual hand-washing to be done there after the soap-and-water washing, with the blessing to be recited after leaving that room.
In my Masorti shul in Paris there is a n'tilat yadayim cup in the ladies' room. But from what I understand European Masorti is frummer than American Conservative Judaism.
Ilana-Davita, I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case.
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