Rabbis Rick and Susan, Allan Markman, Linda Dorfman, Gary and I went to shul this morning at The Great Synagogue across from our hotel. Although we arrived before 9:30 a.m., the Torah service had already begun. Rabbi Susan helped to find the spot in the Torah portion - Tazria. There were two auf ruf's duirng the service with candy being thrown from the men's area and the women's area above. Because there were no microphones in use, hearing the Torah reading was a challenge. There was a beautiful men's choir during the service and the Jerusalem stone walls of the sanctuary are made even more beautiful by the large stained glass above the Aharon Ha Kodesh. The Ark itself held 18 Torahs all adorned by silver Keter's. Above the women's section were additional stained glass windows.
The lobby of the shul was full of cases containing a massive mezuzah collection of all media - silver, glass, ceramic, cloth, acrylic, paper, etc.
Linda and I left after the Torah service to join the rest of our group for our picnic in the park next to the hotel. There was plenty of food, of course, as everyone bought more than enough of everything in Mahane Yehuda yesterday. The best part of our picnic was the camaraderie among the group in sharing all that we had. Some of the leftovers were thrown out, but some were given to others in the park so that they didn't go to waste.
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