There he stood; assiduously swaying from side to side, his sincere eyes expressive in one protracted, searching gaze. As he led us through our daily hebrew prayers, all around me in the Beit Tefilah - the largest prayer site at URJ Camp Newman - other Jewish teens and children were actively singing along with his every word, as though the prayers he chanted spoke to them individually. And, as we sang, the encircling nature seemed to hum and whistle along with this rabbi’s ringing voice and the ancient words he projected. It was the middle of my sixth summer at Jewish summer camp and such daily prayer had by now been engraved into my brain by habit and repetition.
We then began a new prayer; one that I had only heard several times in my years …show more content…
And, as the previous seriousness began to transform into light-hearted euphoric singing, I was disentangled from my deep rooted train of thought. Around me, my friends and counselors were closing their prayer books and straightening and stretching their stiffened backs after their long period of personal concentration. The trees then regained their exuberance as the familiar lyrics, “I don’t know if I believe in a God above, but I believe in you and me and I believe in love”, filled the air. As I joined in and focused on, analyzed, and internalized those simple lyrics, my feelings of alienation began to slowly expire. Though I still remained unsure as to whether or not I necessarily believed in ‘God’, I did feel the internal connection, that I now consider to be my bond to Judaism. I no longer feel as though I need to follow every prayer to identify as a Jew; I now realize that I am more attached to the feelings of community that my experience as a Jewish teen brings forth, than the actual worship of some mysterious higher force. I decided that in my life, religion would simply be a prompt; one for me to interpret and expand; something I would grant myself as purely mine where, in a world where so much will be decided for me, I have to opportunity to decide for
We then began a new prayer; one that I had only heard several times in my years …show more content…
And, as the previous seriousness began to transform into light-hearted euphoric singing, I was disentangled from my deep rooted train of thought. Around me, my friends and counselors were closing their prayer books and straightening and stretching their stiffened backs after their long period of personal concentration. The trees then regained their exuberance as the familiar lyrics, “I don’t know if I believe in a God above, but I believe in you and me and I believe in love”, filled the air. As I joined in and focused on, analyzed, and internalized those simple lyrics, my feelings of alienation began to slowly expire. Though I still remained unsure as to whether or not I necessarily believed in ‘God’, I did feel the internal connection, that I now consider to be my bond to Judaism. I no longer feel as though I need to follow every prayer to identify as a Jew; I now realize that I am more attached to the feelings of community that my experience as a Jewish teen brings forth, than the actual worship of some mysterious higher force. I decided that in my life, religion would simply be a prompt; one for me to interpret and expand; something I would grant myself as purely mine where, in a world where so much will be decided for me, I have to opportunity to decide for