{"id":634,"date":"2011-04-03T18:00:34","date_gmt":"2011-04-03T18:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectconversion.com\/?p=634"},"modified":"2011-04-03T18:00:34","modified_gmt":"2011-04-03T18:00:34","slug":"weekend-with-my-jewish-mentor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/04\/weekend-with-my-jewish-mentor.html","title":{"rendered":"Weekend With My Jewish Mentor"},"content":{"rendered":"

No journey is complete without a map, and that is exactly what Michael Solender <\/a>is for my month with Judaism. From the moment I stepped out of my car after a 2 1\/2 hour trek to meet him, Michael had a plan for my 36 hour visit: immerse Andrew in as much Judaism as possible in the shortest amount of time before his head explodes. His wife, whom he calls “Sweetie,” is a convert to Judaism and was part of the game as well.<\/p>\n

And what a fantastic game it was!<\/p>\n

Two things were constantly present in the home of my Mentor: awesome Jewish recipes being either consumed or created,\u00a0and Michael and Sweetie regaling me with stories of their families,\u00a0pasts, and\u00a0beliefs. Their home was warm and, from the moment I crossed the threshold I felt like family. They indeed treated me like an adopted son, and in doing so, the entire weekend was spent introducing me to my new extended family: the Jews.<\/p>\n

After Michael buzzed me\u00a0through a tour of Charlotte, NC at break-neck speed, we met up with Orthodox rabbi, Rabbi Groner. Rabbi Groner\u00a0had alloted 30 minutes for our interview. The meeting lasted for 1 1\/2 hours.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Outside the Levine Jewish Community Center<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The "Firebird" outside of the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Rabbi Groner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rabbi Groner\u00a0represents the Orthodox branch of\u00a0Judaism and therefore\u00a0adheres to\u00a0the most conservative and\u00a0traditional tenets of the faith. He is the senior rabbi of his synagogue and is heavily involved\u00a0in inmate ministry\/counseling. I have to admit that upon entering his office, I was intimidated. Rabbi Groner sized me up immediately and\u00a0opened our discussion with “I don’t like religion.”<\/p>\n

“It’s a filter,” he said, “that separates us from a relationship with God.” Indeed, he\u00a0described our interactions with God as being threefold: emotional, intellectual, and practical. “Faith,” he said, “not grounded in knowledge is childish.” He described his job as rabbi as one that “elevates the soul.” There is more…so much more, that we discussed. The nature of God. What is the soul? The afterlife. What is our relationship with God\/each other?<\/p>\n

My Mentor’s eyes slowly crossed. Rabbi Groner\u00a0and I had slipped into our element and the connection sparked. In fact, as he spoke about his work with prison inmates as helping them find God (not necessarily\u00a0via the Jewish tradition) and helping them see that they are still part of society, I was reminded of stories my mother told me about my grandfather. He was a Baptist preacher, and every Sunday\u00a0visited the local prison and took\u00a0inmates on a country drive. There was no goal of conversion, just a relationship, a…”I’m here. I care. And God cares too.”<\/p>\n

Michael and I left that meeting completely inspired and wiser than when we had entered. I was on a theological high…and there was more to come.<\/p>\n

Next, Sweetie prepared a few Jewish dishes and brought out the challah, a type of egg bread\u00a0that serves as a centerpiece for Shabbat (Sabbath) and other holiday\u00a0meals. This was our Shabbat dinner before service at a local Reform synagogue.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Yes, challah tastes as awesome as it looks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Reform Judaism, in the broadest sense, is the liberal wing of the faith. Rabbi Groner\u00a0described the difference being that Reform Jews prioritize social action within the faith instead of strict adherence to a majority of the 613 mitzvot <\/em>prescribed for religious and daily life. That isn’t to say they are less pious; just that their appearance\u00a0is noticeably\u00a0modern and their piety is expressed\u00a0in different ways. The service was wonderful and fully engages the congregation. Birthdays, anniversaries, and honoring the passing of loved ones takes place every service. Prayers and hymns are sung\u00a0by a Cantor, a professional vocalist fluent in Hebrew, along with the congregation during certain times. There is a brief\u00a0reading of the Torah followed by a short commentary, and for the most part, that concludes the service. Conservative services are similar to Reform; the only difference is the dress code of the congregation involves every man and woman\u00a0wearing the kippa\/yarmulke,\u00a0men wearing a tallit (a special shawl worn in the synagogue and during prayers).\u00a0Women can be seen wearing them as well.<\/p>\n

This is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, folks. I was dunked\u00a0into the world of Judaism this weekend and now I must explore the traditions and figure out the best way to function this month. I asked Rabbi Groner\u00a0how one might cope with being an observant Jew (in the Orthodox context) in a household where others are not Jewish. His advice? Don’t, because the difficulty is too great and frustration leads to ill-will.\u00a0The rabbi described two relationships: The horizontal one we have with our fellow Creation, and the vertical one we have with God. We are called\u00a0to live both with wisdom, humility, devotion,\u00a0love, and balance. One cannot\u00a0do that if there is persistent\u00a0conflict inherent in the living conditions.\u00a0Wise\u00a0counsel. So\u00a0I will spend the rest of today pouring over the mitzvot; what\u00a0CAN I live by? How far can I go without causing discomfort and tension for everyone else in my home? What can I do to live as a Jew and\u00a0walk this month in their shoes? This is my soul search–what will set the tone for my daily routine for the rest of the month.<\/p>\n

I’m really looking forward to this journey and I hope you’ll join me. If you’re Jewish, please–I\u00a0implore you–to contact me and offer your stories, guidance, and perspective.\u00a0As I’ve mentioned before, I have one\u00a0Mentor, but many teachers. Let us reason\u00a0and\u00a0learn together.<\/p>\n

I want to thank Michael and “Sweetie” again for bringing me into their\u00a0home. I hope our paths cross again. I also want to close this post with something interesting that happened during my visit. During a recent trip to India, “Sweetie,” who is a huge\u00a0lover of\u00a0religion as it is expressed in art, developed a connection and interest\u00a0with the Hindu deity, Ganesha. Ganesha is that iconic and beloved\u00a0elephant-headed god who is said\u00a0to remove all obstacles. He is also the son of Lord Shiva.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ganesha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was a Shiva devotee during January.<\/p>\n

Is there a connection? Is this divine providence saying “Hey old friend. Just stopping by,”? I don’t know, and such speculation can make you crazy, but\u00a0I cannot ignore the fact that those little images of Ganesha comforted me and helped me remember my lessons so far. Afterall, forgetfulness\u00a0is an obstical, and\u00a0Ganesha is famous for their removal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shalom.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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