After waiting ALL DAY for the UPS guy on Tuesday, my great-grandfather’s torah arrived yesterday. The guys at the Jewish Bookstore of Greater Washington packed it in what appears to be a small cardboard coffin (well, one inside another, all padded with bubble wrap, what appears to be an entire role of packing tape, and a garbage bag worth of foam peanuts). Thankfully it arrived safe and sound, in its loaner cover that fits it better than its holiday clothes. We took it to simcha torah services and it was danced with for all 7 hakafot. It was fun, but I kept watching after it like a baby until people caught me watching and only friends danced with it. I’ve never held a torah for so long (I danced 2 rounds with it) and my back/shoulder is sore.
Rabbi Marc was amazed, he’d thought I was bringing a small torah, like a not full sized one. Nope, this one is tall and skinny, and hassidic. Other than the tiny travel size torah that we use for kid’s services, it’s normal hight, just a lot skinnier than the German/Ashkanazi torahs that we’re all used to seeing.
Now my decision is if I go to services or not tomorrow. Shabbat is our time off from wedding stuff, and if we go people are going to ask lots of questions about the wedding, and I don’t like talking about it with people who aren’t invited. It is uncomfortable/awkward for me. Then again, I want to see people seeing the visiting torah after services….. But I also want to have a total day off and go hang out in Estes Park (where Ben and I had our second real date) and meet up with Becca. Ack, decisions, I’ve got mushy bridal brain.
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