[HANASHIR:9227] snapshot

[LPKAROL <LPKAROL...>]

Dear Chevre,
         I am taking a break from sleep (just as if I was at HN!) to compose 
this message!  Shabbat Shalom!
         Last night at our Shabbat service, I tried to add some special songs 
to make me feel connected to HN.  So, I sang Debbie Friedman's 
"Ushmor/Hashkivenu" that she composed last year and, to give examples of 
blessings in conjunction with reading the Priestly blessing from the Torah, I 
sang Kol B'Seder's "La-a-sok B'divray Torah" and Debbie Friedman's "A 
Blessing for the Ones you love."
          The surprise addition for the night was related to the weather.  A 
rainstorm came through about an hour before services.  On my way to Temple, I 
caught a glimpse of the brief appearance of a double rainbow.  I wanted to 
take a picture of it, but by the time I got to Temple, it had just about 
disappeared.  I decided to sing Debbie Friedman's "Rainbow blessing" during 
the service to mark the occasion.  As I spoke about the blessing and the 
song, I mentioned that a blessing is like a snapshot - a blessing helps you 
remember something that happened because of doing the ritual of saying the 
blessing.  I recalled for the congregation that 7 years ago - also on the 
first Friday in June or close to it, we had a rainstorm come through at about 
the same time and we sang the Rainbow blessing - I remember because it was 
the night before the b'nei mitzvah of a brother and sister (we have about 5-8 
b'nei mitzvah each year, so I do remember them individually!).  I said that 
my ability to remember that proved one of two things - that Rabbi Karol 
remembers strange things....or that saying and singing the blessing in 1994 
was like taking a snapshot of the appearance of the rainbow.  I, of course, 
argued for the latter, and I think my congregation agreed.  I don't know if I 
would have remembered the rainbow of early June 1994 if I hadn't sung the 
blessing that night.
        So, because of a musical setting of the rainbow blessing, I had an 
important point to make last night about blessings.  And now that I have told 
you this story, I have formally added another snapshot to my spiritual album!
         Shabbat Shalom - keep that ruach coming!
L'shalom,
Rabbi Larry Karol
Temple Beth Sholom
Topeka, Kansas

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