So... tired...
Apr. 9th, 2006 12:01 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eveglassThis entry was composed on the train returning to Toronto.
First, a few brief points of note:
- Going over my mail yesterday, I realized I had received a new SCA membership card, a new medicare card, and a new driver's license. These latter two had newly updated pictures of me, in all my passport-photo glory (yeah, right). Perhaps I'm reinventing myself. Perhaps I'm making too big a deal out of new id.
- I find myself occasionally thinking of my English sentences (especially on my blog) in terms of Latin grammar. I'll look at a sentence and say, "ablative absolute!", "future participle!", "quod clause!", or other similarly ridiculous things. Has anyone else at CMS found this, or am I just freakish this way?
- Over the last month, I seem to have developed insomnia. I get into bed and can't fall asleep for at least an hour, no matter what time it is. I suspect it's just stress getting to me, and hopefully I will be able to once again fall asleep like a normal person once this semester is over (less than 2 weeks, yay!).
And now onto something a little more significant: the reason I came into Montreal, my grandfather's bar mitzvah.
I arrived at shul (synagogue) around 9 am. I waited with my brother outside the sanctuary for a while, even after everyone else went in, because I wanted to be sure to see my grandfather before he sat down. The ceremony was held in an orthodox synagogue, meaning the men and women sit separately. The consequence of this is that if I didn't speak to my grandfather beforehand, I'd need to wait until after the service. We waited for quite some time. And just as we were about to give up and walk into the sanctuary, lo and behold, the main doors open to reveal my grandpa! Yay! I got a chance to hug him and wish him good luck before going inside, and it was definitely worth it.
In terms of the bar mitzvah itself, it was very moving. My grandfather read the Mafsir (last section) of the Haftorah (torah reading), and afterwards made a wonderful speech, not only about the torah portion but also about his experiences and how he came to be standing on the bimah (raised part of the sanctuary), having a bar mitzvah at age 89. When he was thirteen, the rabbi had told him, "poor boys don't have bar mitzvahs." When he graduated high school, he was told, "poor boys don't go to university." He's already disproved the latter, and today he disproved the former. Congrats, Grandpa! I know you're reading this.
Afterwards, the whole family (well, the whole male section of the family, anyway) went up on stage to receive a special blessing. It was lovely.
The rabbi made a powerful speech in honour of the bar mitzvah, comparing my grandfather's life to the sné, the thorny bush that Moses discovered in the desert which burned continually without being consumed. Though my grandfather's life was full of thorns, his spirit burned through it all. One of the things I found most striking was his statement (paraphrased), "Spirituality and religion is the seeking, the journey. The worst thing anyone can say is, 'I know.' When you think you know, that you have the solution and the answer, you don't know anything." To me, that rings true.
It was, in sum, one of the most moving bar mitzvahs I've ever attended. My grandpa even thanked me especially in his thank-you speech at the luncheon afterwards for coming in from Toronto to see him. As if I'd miss it! How often does one get to see one's grandfather become bar-mitzvah?
I also thought I'd add something to this post. My mom, aunt, and brother made up pamphlets for the occasion which detail my grandfather's life. It's very powerful. I asked for and received permission to post the text here, so that's what follows.
*****
(front page with my grandpa's picture)
Dreams can come true ...
(Inside pages)
Max and Rebecca Rubin were blessed with 5 sons. Dave was the fourth born. Money was scarce but Dave watched with pride as his older brothers became a Bar Mitzvah. The terrible Depression came and there was barely enough money for food and rent. Dave understood that the cost of 25¢ for each Bar Mitzvah lesson made it impossible for him to study, coupled with the fact that his mother was very ill and hospitalized. At the end of the Depression life improved somewhat and his younger brother became a Bar Mitzvah. Dave always felt an emptiness for having missed out on this religious passage into manhood. He held onto the dream....
The years went by and life was still a struggle. Dave was obliged to work from midnight to 7:30 in the morning to help the family survive. Then he would return home for his books and go off to high school. He wanted to better himself by continuing his studies at university but was crushed when that dream was stolen from him. He held onto the dream...
He struggled to improve life for his family and started Rapid Belt Co. Ltd. in 1939 hoping to make a success of it. When World War 2 broke out and Dave went into the army his brothers ran the business until his return. While on leave he went to the Balfour Home, a service center for soldiers, where he met Frances.
She was a dream. He was too shy to ask her out for a date so a friend got things going. Bottom line ...they married. Mark, Elaine and Joyce made them a family and family was always the most treasured part of their lives. A dream come true !
For the children there was summer camp, music, skiing, ballet, sports, and a wonderful home life. Mark became a Bar Mitzvah and their fishing trips began in ernest. Meanwhile, Frances and Dave embraced golf, curling and bridge . Their interest in learning about other cultures led them to travel all over the world. They loved it.
Frances had a love of art throughout her life. She encouraged Dave to take painting lessons and over the years they experienced the arts together - ballet, opera, theatre. After the chidren were grown, Frances, at a mature age, decided to go back to school to study Fine Arts at Concordia University and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her success encouraged Dave to go to university as well and he achieved his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts. A dream come true !
The children grew up, married, and had families of their own. Frances and Dave watched with pride as the grandchildren Julie and Tara had Bat Miztvahs and Jeffrey, Howard and Philip became Bar Mitzvahs.
They established the Frances and David Rubin Foundation to provide scholarships for needy individuals at the Hebrew University, Concordia University and the Liberal Arts College . They wanted to make it easier for struggling students to achieve their success.
A dream come true !
*****
Doesn't that just make you feel good, like anything is possible? If not, it's because you haven't met my grandfather yet. *grin*
Right. As I said, this was composed on the train, so that I can just copy/paste it when I get back to my room. It's 11:10, I'm already tired, and suspect I won't get any less tired between now and the time I go to bed. I'm posting this and collapsing. So... g'night all!
First, a few brief points of note:
- Going over my mail yesterday, I realized I had received a new SCA membership card, a new medicare card, and a new driver's license. These latter two had newly updated pictures of me, in all my passport-photo glory (yeah, right). Perhaps I'm reinventing myself. Perhaps I'm making too big a deal out of new id.
- I find myself occasionally thinking of my English sentences (especially on my blog) in terms of Latin grammar. I'll look at a sentence and say, "ablative absolute!", "future participle!", "quod clause!", or other similarly ridiculous things. Has anyone else at CMS found this, or am I just freakish this way?
- Over the last month, I seem to have developed insomnia. I get into bed and can't fall asleep for at least an hour, no matter what time it is. I suspect it's just stress getting to me, and hopefully I will be able to once again fall asleep like a normal person once this semester is over (less than 2 weeks, yay!).
And now onto something a little more significant: the reason I came into Montreal, my grandfather's bar mitzvah.
I arrived at shul (synagogue) around 9 am. I waited with my brother outside the sanctuary for a while, even after everyone else went in, because I wanted to be sure to see my grandfather before he sat down. The ceremony was held in an orthodox synagogue, meaning the men and women sit separately. The consequence of this is that if I didn't speak to my grandfather beforehand, I'd need to wait until after the service. We waited for quite some time. And just as we were about to give up and walk into the sanctuary, lo and behold, the main doors open to reveal my grandpa! Yay! I got a chance to hug him and wish him good luck before going inside, and it was definitely worth it.
In terms of the bar mitzvah itself, it was very moving. My grandfather read the Mafsir (last section) of the Haftorah (torah reading), and afterwards made a wonderful speech, not only about the torah portion but also about his experiences and how he came to be standing on the bimah (raised part of the sanctuary), having a bar mitzvah at age 89. When he was thirteen, the rabbi had told him, "poor boys don't have bar mitzvahs." When he graduated high school, he was told, "poor boys don't go to university." He's already disproved the latter, and today he disproved the former. Congrats, Grandpa! I know you're reading this.
Afterwards, the whole family (well, the whole male section of the family, anyway) went up on stage to receive a special blessing. It was lovely.
The rabbi made a powerful speech in honour of the bar mitzvah, comparing my grandfather's life to the sné, the thorny bush that Moses discovered in the desert which burned continually without being consumed. Though my grandfather's life was full of thorns, his spirit burned through it all. One of the things I found most striking was his statement (paraphrased), "Spirituality and religion is the seeking, the journey. The worst thing anyone can say is, 'I know.' When you think you know, that you have the solution and the answer, you don't know anything." To me, that rings true.
It was, in sum, one of the most moving bar mitzvahs I've ever attended. My grandpa even thanked me especially in his thank-you speech at the luncheon afterwards for coming in from Toronto to see him. As if I'd miss it! How often does one get to see one's grandfather become bar-mitzvah?
I also thought I'd add something to this post. My mom, aunt, and brother made up pamphlets for the occasion which detail my grandfather's life. It's very powerful. I asked for and received permission to post the text here, so that's what follows.
(front page with my grandpa's picture)
Dreams can come true ...
(Inside pages)
Max and Rebecca Rubin were blessed with 5 sons. Dave was the fourth born. Money was scarce but Dave watched with pride as his older brothers became a Bar Mitzvah. The terrible Depression came and there was barely enough money for food and rent. Dave understood that the cost of 25¢ for each Bar Mitzvah lesson made it impossible for him to study, coupled with the fact that his mother was very ill and hospitalized. At the end of the Depression life improved somewhat and his younger brother became a Bar Mitzvah. Dave always felt an emptiness for having missed out on this religious passage into manhood. He held onto the dream....
The years went by and life was still a struggle. Dave was obliged to work from midnight to 7:30 in the morning to help the family survive. Then he would return home for his books and go off to high school. He wanted to better himself by continuing his studies at university but was crushed when that dream was stolen from him. He held onto the dream...
He struggled to improve life for his family and started Rapid Belt Co. Ltd. in 1939 hoping to make a success of it. When World War 2 broke out and Dave went into the army his brothers ran the business until his return. While on leave he went to the Balfour Home, a service center for soldiers, where he met Frances.
She was a dream. He was too shy to ask her out for a date so a friend got things going. Bottom line ...they married. Mark, Elaine and Joyce made them a family and family was always the most treasured part of their lives. A dream come true !
For the children there was summer camp, music, skiing, ballet, sports, and a wonderful home life. Mark became a Bar Mitzvah and their fishing trips began in ernest. Meanwhile, Frances and Dave embraced golf, curling and bridge . Their interest in learning about other cultures led them to travel all over the world. They loved it.
Frances had a love of art throughout her life. She encouraged Dave to take painting lessons and over the years they experienced the arts together - ballet, opera, theatre. After the chidren were grown, Frances, at a mature age, decided to go back to school to study Fine Arts at Concordia University and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. Her success encouraged Dave to go to university as well and he achieved his Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Arts. A dream come true !
The children grew up, married, and had families of their own. Frances and Dave watched with pride as the grandchildren Julie and Tara had Bat Miztvahs and Jeffrey, Howard and Philip became Bar Mitzvahs.
They established the Frances and David Rubin Foundation to provide scholarships for needy individuals at the Hebrew University, Concordia University and the Liberal Arts College . They wanted to make it easier for struggling students to achieve their success.
A dream come true !
Doesn't that just make you feel good, like anything is possible? If not, it's because you haven't met my grandfather yet. *grin*
Right. As I said, this was composed on the train, so that I can just copy/paste it when I get back to my room. It's 11:10, I'm already tired, and suspect I won't get any less tired between now and the time I go to bed. I'm posting this and collapsing. So... g'night all!
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 04:04 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 04:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 04:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 01:20 pm (UTC)And congrats to your grandfather!
no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 02:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-09 05:40 pm (UTC)