So Sad, but True--Except for the Orthodox
First November NabloPoMo* post. Let's see how consistent I can be here (don't hold your breath). I just read an article entitled America's Holy Haunted Houses , about how most synagogues empty out after the "Chagim" or High Holidays are over. The Jewish month in which we are now, called by its Babylonian name, "Heshvan," is sometimes called " Mar-Heshvan ," 'mar' being another word for ' tipat mayim ,' or a drop of water,because the prayer for rain is said on the last holiday in Tishrei called Shmini Atzeret--but it also means 'bitter,' some say because of the fact that this month contains no holidays, coming after the extremely holiday-laden and holy month of Tishrei. But this, below, is not the case with my shul*, or any Orthodox shul, where people come to pray because they are observant, devout, and serious about Judaism as part of their everyday lives. They come to shul to daven , or pray, at least once a day ...