By Sue Brucker (4-30-09)

Today is twenty-one days, which is three weeks of the Omer.

 

It is a tradition to count the days between Passover and Shavuot, as we mark our freedom from slavery and celebrate our freedom to accept Torah. This is called "counting the omer." This year we will observe the tradition of "counting the omer" by sharing stories about the many different ways that we have been turned on to Jewish learning, and through Jewish learning to Torah.

A TIME OF JEWISH LEARNING THAT TOUCHED MY HEART

I grew up in a Conservative household and went to Hebrew School three times a week.  At that time, a lot of Hebrew School teachers had a language barrier and had great difficulty controlling the classroom; therefore I really didn't learn a lot in Hebrew School.
 
Fast forward to my daughter's Bat Mitzvah preparation. When we drove to and from her Bat Mitzvah training sessions, we shared a lot and had some very deep conversations. It was during one of those drives home that Lauren told me she recently felt a deeper connection to her Judaism and that she finally got "IT" -- that it really was the ceremony that was most important, not the party.  Talk about a parental kvelling moment!!

It was also during one of those drives home that Lauren and I talked about feeling comfortable with reading Hebrew and how that affects our perspective of the service.  Through that conversation, I realized that I had never felt comfortable with my ability to read Hebrew; even though I had been Bat Mitzvahed and confirmed.  When I asked her if I could sit in with her and Jeff during her training sessions, I was ready for her to say that she would rather I did not.  But instead she welcomed me into a very special time of her life and gave me the gift of learning with her. She gave me the privilege of watching her grow, face challenges, and sometimes turn lemons into lemonade. She gave me the opportunity of a shared Jewish learning experience.

And for that I will always be grateful!!

By Sue Brucker

These stories are brought to you by the Temple Emanuel RE-IMAGINE project, an 18-month initiative sponsored by Hebrew Union College, devoted to re-thinking and re-structuring our religious school.