Minyans, assemble!
2020-May-01, Friday 12:33
In the original timeline before the LHC activation, I'd be having Shabbat dinner with friends right now. 
I've been occasionally going to morning minyan that Mishkan's been hosting online, like I mentioned back in this post. It's the kind of thing I never would have considered before the Plague Year, because my morning schedule involves waking up at the absolute last possible second that I can while still being able to shower, eat, and get out the door on time for work. There's no way I'd wake up an hour earlier than I already do to make it somewhere else, pray, leave there, and go on to work, unless it was some kind of special occasion. But when I can wake up forty-five minutes or an hour later than my normal wake-up time, shower, and still get out and load up my computer and join the minyan in time?
That I can do, and gladly.
The tallit (טלית, "prayer shawl") I ordered came as well. I already had one that![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
schoolpsychnerd abandoned, but that was a stole-type tallit, and furthermore, it was a last-century Reform one that had "Jehovah" all over it. I did like the Hebrew phrases on it, various quotes from Proverbs and the Psalms, but I wanted a real tallit gadol, so bought one with my stimulus money. After it showed up I started wearing it at morning minyan and it really helps to set that part of the day...well, apart. Since I'm so tall, I got the largest size--like two meters by 1.5 meters--and even wrapped and hoisted up onto my shoulders it's still pretty big. I described it in a meditation session as feeling like a security blanket, which might be a weird comparison, but is still true.
I have a much easier time connecting with minyan than with Shabbat services, I think because the minyan is usually a dozen people and it's a video group chat, whereas Shabbat services are livestreamed. That participatory aspect is crucial for me.
Alright, time for our work online meeting, which is much less spiritually fulfilling.
I've been occasionally going to morning minyan that Mishkan's been hosting online, like I mentioned back in this post. It's the kind of thing I never would have considered before the Plague Year, because my morning schedule involves waking up at the absolute last possible second that I can while still being able to shower, eat, and get out the door on time for work. There's no way I'd wake up an hour earlier than I already do to make it somewhere else, pray, leave there, and go on to work, unless it was some kind of special occasion. But when I can wake up forty-five minutes or an hour later than my normal wake-up time, shower, and still get out and load up my computer and join the minyan in time?
That I can do, and gladly.
The tallit (טלית, "prayer shawl") I ordered came as well. I already had one that
schoolpsychnerd abandoned, but that was a stole-type tallit, and furthermore, it was a last-century Reform one that had "Jehovah" all over it. I did like the Hebrew phrases on it, various quotes from Proverbs and the Psalms, but I wanted a real tallit gadol, so bought one with my stimulus money. After it showed up I started wearing it at morning minyan and it really helps to set that part of the day...well, apart. Since I'm so tall, I got the largest size--like two meters by 1.5 meters--and even wrapped and hoisted up onto my shoulders it's still pretty big. I described it in a meditation session as feeling like a security blanket, which might be a weird comparison, but is still true. I have a much easier time connecting with minyan than with Shabbat services, I think because the minyan is usually a dozen people and it's a video group chat, whereas Shabbat services are livestreamed. That participatory aspect is crucial for me.
Alright, time for our work online meeting, which is much less spiritually fulfilling.
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