Crazy Idea, or Is It?

[wrenb]

Last week I was at the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial convention. I had a wonderful time attending workshops, concerts, a play, and praying a whole lot (and, a.n.ers, meeting Karen for dinner and photos). In addition to the ideas I've got for improving my committee work, I've come home with a crazy idea percolating in my brain.

Would I make a good rabbi? I have an undergraduate degree in psychology, which reflects my desire 10 years ago to counsel people with problems, not with serious mental illnesses. I have always been an institutional prayer kind of girl, ever since Sunday School at the age of 7. I'm a regular on the Torah reading schedule. I have a good voice, but very few technical musical skills, so I feel that being a cantor (a Jewish professional singer/musician) isn't available to me.

On the other hand I'm shy. And I can't go back to school for at least another 2 years. I'd like to spend some years at home with my hypothetical future kids. And this is an idea, not a burning passion.

But I've just spent 5 days surrounded by rabbis, cantors & Jewish professionals, and I felt a deep bond with them. I don't want to be a secretary my whole life. I want to lead prayer and help people through their troubles.

If I do this I need to learn Hebrew far better than I do right now. First year rabbinic students live in Jerusalem. And I can't speak Hebrew, only pronounce it. I wish I could take a class at the UW, but that's not in the budget right now. I do have a workbook that I never finished that I could go back to working through. I figure Hebrew and Torah study (Saturday mornings at my synagogue) are baby steps I can take.

Am I dreaming far beyond my abilities and talents?

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I think you'd love it. You gravitated toward the "everyone's mom" role in college. And you have logistical/organizational skills as well, which are useful in that sort of leadership capacity. (And I don't really see you being a secretary forever, either.)

Shy is a problem, but it can be overcome (look at what I've been doing, and for all I'm not shy around geeks, believe me, I am around normal people).

As you say, there are things you'd need to learn (maybe including self-care since overcoming shyness and shouldering a lot of people's problems is exhausting, though I don't know how you already are on the self-care front). But as you also say, you wouldn't want to implement this plan for a few years yet, so you have tons of time to explore and improve your skills -- learn more Hebrew, volunteer in a variety of roles at the synagogue, talk to some rabbis about pursuing this path, keep going to conventions, etc.

[clarkger.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great idea. One of our congregations here (believe it or not, my old Yankee town in Connecticut has several different flavors of synagogue!) has a part-time woman rabbi who came to the clergy as a second career. Now her kids are older so she is working more, but she was pretty much eased into her study and work while her kids were small.

Are there options for lay ministry? Something you could start doing relatively soon?

[onelargecat.livejournal.com]

I think it's a great idea.

[lissie930.livejournal.com]

Well, IANAJ, but it seems like it might be a great fit for you, and the thing that stands out most to me is that your excitement comes through the page here.

Am I dreaming far beyond my abilities and talents?

No such thing! Sounds like it at least would make sense to start information-gathering about the process!

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

Are there options for lay ministry? Something you could start doing relatively soon?

Once a month we have a small lay-led service, and I'm in the rotation to do that. Drew plays the guitar and I lead. I also read Torah for that service about 4-6 times a year. I'm up again in January. But that's the extent of what I know I can do now.

If this idea remains exciting for a month I should go talk to the rabbi and see what else I can do. And get back onto the Religious Practices committee.

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

Well, not having voice training is not the end of the world for cantoring. See, you're in an area where you can get decent voice training. That *matters* for pretty much any sort of religious ministry, because voice training helps with public speaking as well as with public singing.

And well, if being a rabbi is something you feel drawn to, you should go for it. Not everyone has a vocation for religious service, but it's awful to have one and not live it.

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I want to second this (as someone who was basically tone deaf, fixed that with 10 years of viola lessons, was too chicken to join a choir for years, then at last discovered she had a decent voice and finally got some lessons...).

Having decent sound quality, you're born with or you're not. But listening to others, controlling what you have, even your range -- all of that is trainable. And most of what it takes to train it is listening closely to other singers and to people who know more than you do, and trying to imitate/obey. And you can learn a *huge* amount that way, and yes, it also helps a lot with public speaking (been there, done that, is my life, never get sore throats, have filled large rooms without a mic and without shouting).

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

Vocal training I have. I sang in choirs between 8 and 18 with an additional semester in college. I did forensics for 6 years. I blew people away with my bat mitzvah speech, and could easily have done it without a mic.

But the program at HUC expects a cantor to have college-level musical education. While I enjoy singing, my joy and experience has always been at a decidedly amateur level. I've tried in the past to learn piano and guitar, but I've never had much skill. I'm more of a voice & tambourine kind of girl. :)

Thanks

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

I just want to thank you all for your enthusiastic support. It means a lot to hear that my friends think this is something I can do. Tomorrow night at dinner I'm going to bounce it off of my best friends from Temple and see what they think.

[torrilin.livejournal.com]

*nod* The second instrument part of a BA in music is the hard part for a lot of people. I know why they require it, understand and agree completely, and... it's what kept me from going for a BA in music. I'm just enough of a classic dumb soprano that any instrument other than voice makes me crazy (and just enough *not* a dumb one that I can read music pretty competently). Tho, percussion like tambourine still counts as a second instrument ;).

I do get sore throats still sometimes, and I can't do without a mic... think it goes along with the structural stuff that resulted in me being a straight up soprano despite being tall and with a large chest cavity.

[red-ruby.livejournal.com]

IANAJ either, but I think this sounds like a worthwhile and satisfying road to pursue -- whether it leads to a larger lay-person's role or one within the actual clergy (is that the right term?), I can't imagine such investigation, thought and preparation would ever be wasted.

(As for the university degree, my DH has a degree in philosophy, and has oft said that if he were "a believer", he'd be clergy. There's something very powerful about a well trained, compassionate mind combined with a spiritual being. And that's something I respect despite not being very 'religious' myself....)

[webhill.livejournal.com]

Does your congregation have any lay leadership? Perhaps a position like that would be interesting for you. Also our congregation has a Mitzvah Corps - does yours? It must. I bet that working with them could be wonderful for you. I mean, it's not glamorous, but helping people clean their house to prepare for shiva, or after shiva, bringing food to those in mourning or to the sick or the postoperative, helping to put together care packages for those who have lost everything in a fire, etc etc - we do all that kind of stuff and it is very rewarding, and a lot of the people being helped also do want to talk so there is that opportunity....

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

I need to talk to people at Temple about leadership opportunities that do not involve being on committees. We do have some lay leaders for services, but the ones I can think of all are song leaders, and I don't play guitar. Maybe I could help lead shiva minyans... Hmmm... Good idea Hillary! I don't really want to be funeral girl, but I'm sure that's something I could get over.

I am co-chair of the Caring Committee (aka Mitzvah Corps) so I'm all over that. Sort of. I went to 3 different presentations about caring communities at Biennial last week -- there are some amazing programs out there. Compared to them our committee is really puny and not all that effective. There's definite work to be done there. I'd also like to be involved in outreach stuff for young congregants, and in the new Reform push for Shabbat observance of some sort. Rabbi Yoffie (president of the Union) made it sounds really exciting, and I want to be there. I was beaming during that sermon. I'm going to talk to the rabbi and president about that in the new year. Which means I need to go back onto the Religious Practices committee. I left that committee last year when they did absolutely nothing for 4 months -- overcoming transportation challenges didn't seem worth it in order to discuss the mission statement.

[cellio]

Ah, a kindred spirit!

Don't sell your abilities and talents short.

Try to think about the "whole job". What parts of being a rabbi appeal? What parts make you nervous? Do you necessarily want to be a congregational rabbi, or would you be happier in a Hillel or in chaplaincy or the like? (Not suggesting, just asking.) How does your rabbi spend his day? His week? His year?

Yes, you'll need to get some Hebrew proficiency before you can apply. You can work on that while deciding whether you want to go down this path. You're unlikely to consider learning Hebrew to be wasted effort should you decide not to pursue the rabbinate, yes?

Leadership positions for lay people seems like a tough nut to crack in some congregations. (I have that same problem.) Good luck with that, and if you learn any tricks for expanding your opportunities, please share. :-)

[beth_leonard]

Am I dreaming far beyond my abilities and talents?

I don't know much about the Jewish hierarchy, but in my experience, if God is calling you to take this type of position, there's little that can prevent you from doing it. (Think Moses and Jonah)

Good luck if it's what you think God's calling you to do!

--Beth

[abernat.livejournal.com]

But now she can transport herself. :)

Seriously, though, I think getting more involved is a great idea. Right now the Temple has two avenues. Well, three.

1) Committees, Board, officers.
2) Songleaders. We get in for free because there's not that many and we're kinda popular.
3) Torah readers. Yeah... but that's all you do.

But just because there _are_ those three doesn't mean that that is all there _can_ be. I think lay leadership is a great idea. Really wonderful. There are even some ways to do it. I know that there are services the Rabbi doesn't lead. Normally they're covered by the Cantor or Educator
(or our songleader, actually), but you could definitely help there. Or helping out with Saturday morning services.

My guess is that, like most organizations, we're entrenched into a certain way of thought. And it's about time for it to change.

[anemone.livejournal.com]

I'd say you've got to try. If it doesn't work out, well, that's life. But you have to see if it will work out.

[onanothertopic.livejournal.com]

Sorry I'm commenting late, but from the little I know of you, you seem to have a good head on your shoulders and a real commitment to Judaism, two things which MANY rabbis could stand to work on. If those who know you think it's a good idea, count me in with them.

The ALEPH program may not be for you in particular, but Rachel Barenblat, whom I knew long ago IRL and think very highly of, is doing it. See http://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com. If you haven't checked her out already, do--she has a lot of good stuff to say which I think would "resonate" with you. I need to get her onto the mikveh comm, but I need to write a "hi, reintroducing myself after 1000 years" message, which I haven't gotten around to.

Be well,
rsh

[wrenb.livejournal.com]

Velveteen Rabbi rocks! I've been reading her on and off for years now. She's really amazing. Some of what she wrote about her chaplaincy sounds so challenging that I stop and think "Maybe this isn't exactly what I want to do with my life". But I'm so glad that there are people who can do that work.

It would be extraordinarily cool to have her in the mikveh community.

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