gnomi: (yeshiva_stewart)
This past Shabbat, I did something I haven't done in 22 years: I had the Maftir aliyah and read haftarah in front of a minyan.

On three and a half days' notice

And people said I did it very well. :-)

Let me explain...No, is too long. Let me sum up )
gnomi: (yeshiva_stewart)
-- Even though I've covered my hair for over 10 years now, I have a category of people who get to see my hair who do not fall into the "family" category. This category includes men who have seen me in my pajamas, because my theory is that it's silly to be willing to be in PJs around someone and not let them see my hair.

-- I'm never sure, when I go to the doctor, if I should remove my hat or not. I've pondered this in this space before. And does it make a difference if my dentist's office is all women? I mean, yeah, I cover my hair around women, too, but if it's just me and a bunch of women, I've been known to remove my hat.

-- I'm not shomeret negiah. I'll greet people with hugs, and I frequently do. However, I don't extend my hand for a handshake in most situations unless the other party does first. Yeah, I know, that's kind of contradictory. There are friends who start to greet me with a hug who then hold back, thinking I'd be uncomfortable with it. More than once I've gotten into odd dances that are essentially the "is that a hug? Did I misunderstand? Wait... now what are they doing?" twostep. In general, if the person is a close enough friend that *they'd* want to greet *me* with a hug, I'll hug back.
gnomi: (yeshiva_stewart)
This is the first in what I'm planning to be a series of posts about my religious beliefs and practices. I'm calling the series "Flying my Frumkeit." So, I'll start with some basics.

Things that are true about me:

-- I have always kept both kosher and Shabbat to some degree.

-- I've covered my hair since 1996 and haven't worn pants (in other words, worn only skirts) since 1995 or so, but I wear short sleeves (well, to my elbow) and sandals in the appropriate season (short as that season may be in the Boston area).

-- I prefer to daven where there's a mechitzah (a physical separation between men and women), and have since I was a teenager, but I can lein (recite with cantillation in front of the congregation) Torah and Haftarah, and I've taught others how to lein Haftarah.

-- I went to Orthodox day schools from Kindergarten through 12th grade, but I made a conscious decision to go to Israel with an unaffiliated Zionist organization instead of going to one of the girls' yeshivot that many of my classmates attended.

-- I often feel like I fall in between categories. I'm not really "frum from birth" ("FFB"), but neither am I a ba'alat teshuvah. I've been observant to some level my whole life; it's the exact level that's changed over time.

-- People frequently make mistaken assumptions about me/my life based on how I dress; sometimes I shock them by proving them wrong.

August 2015

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