Bee-ing Back On The Blog!

It has been some time since I set up my blog. I had intended to begin right away with blog posts - sharing my life, trying my darndest to stay off of social media, and allowing friends and family trips to our “farm” while we are in the midst of a global pandemic.
                                                      

Well. Things often don’t go as we think they will. I got caught up in end-of-semester work - of course - what was I thinking would happen in May?? Then there was a two-week long “retreat” of intensive courses and davening (prayer) with my seminary teachers and classmates. I was in class all day, and also davening on Zoom with my holy chevrah, right in the middle of everything going on in my house - literally, I took over the dining room, right in the middle of the flurry and constant flow of chaos that lives here! 

For two weeks this went on, and I began to notice something: Sophi, my youngest child, kept popping into the room when it was time for davening. She started to recognize people, and commenting anytime I would login: “Hey, it’s Sharon singing again! You know, I like her voice better than yours…” and “Oh! It’s Sally! Her voice is so cool, so spicy! And man, she can play that guitar!” and “There’s Jack again…he looks like Dumbledore, did you ever notice that?” 

Late in the second week, I led morning davening (what we call Shacharit) with some of my Cantorial friends, and asked Sophi if she would like to help me to sing Modah Ani, one of the morning blessings - the very first one we traditionally say upon waking. She did not want to be on camera, but agreed that sitting to my side and singing without being seen would be fine. One of the main things that makes davening so difficult in these times of social distancing is that “unmuting” more than one singer or speaker or musician at a time causes auditory chaos. But when someone sings with another person in the same physical space, it sounds great! 

Here is a video of us singing. The words of the song are: Modah ani l'fanecha, Melech chai v'kayam, she-hechezarta bi nishmati b'chemlah, rabbah emunatecha - I offer thanks to You, ever-living Sovereign, that You have restored my soul to me in mercy: How great is Your trust.

At night when we fall asleep, our soul departs our physical body. Some even believe that during that time our soul returns to the Womb of Shechinah - The Source of Life - The Garden of Eden. The Talmud teaches us that sleep is 1/60th of death, and that dreams are 1/60th of prophecy. Thus, when our soul departs our body and then returns to us, we experience a daily manifestation of the miracle and gift of death and life - and when we dream, we can hear the voice of God. 

So remember tomorrow morning, and every day thereafter, every time you fall asleep and wake up, to thank God for restoring your soul to you. 

Have a beautiful Shabbos!

Devorah