It will likely come as no surprise to those of you who know me that my faith tends to be rational/intellectual rather than emotional or mystical in my primary connection to haShem. I have great admiration for those who connect with haShem through primarily emotional or mystical paths but the intellectual is how I usually connect.
But at kabbalat Shabbat (the middle part of Friday night services, welcoming Shabbat) yesterday, I had a few moments of connecting on a deeply emotional level. The shliach tzibbur (lit. community messenger, the one leading the service) was excellent, and everyone was participating; this time of year - the yomin noraim (high holy days) - is ripe for that.
So a couple hundred people were singing Mizmor le David (Psalm 29; more here; audio here and here - with a kol isha warning on the second for those concerned .....)..... and I had a few moments of amazing close emotional attachment to haShem.....and it continued throught the niggun-style addition at the end of the psalm......This is about my favorite of the psalms sung Friday night (if I ever convert, part of my Hebrew name will come from in it....), and so I always like this part of the service.....but last night was extraspecial!
This is why I try to go to services when I'm not sure I want to drive that far or deal with the crowds.....that's often when haShem's presence touches me and take me out of my intellectual understanding of faith and opens the emotional gates.
Mizmor L’David – Psalm 29
Mizmor l'David.
Havu ladonai b'nei eilim (2X)
Havu ladonai kavod va'oz
Havu ladonai k'vod sh'mo
Hishtachavu ladonai b'hadrat kodesh
Kol adonai al hamayim
Eil hakavod hir'im
Adonai al mayim rabim
Kol adonai bako'ach
Kol adonai b'hadar
Kol adonai shover arazim
Vayshaber adonai et arzei hal'vanon
Vayarkidem k'mo egel
L'vanon v'siryon k'mo ven re'emim
Kol adonai chotzev lahavot esh
Kol adonai yachil midbar
Yachil adonai midbar kadesh
Kol adonai y'cholel ayalot
Vayechesof ye'arot
Uv'heichalo kulo omer kavod
Adonai lamabul yashav
Vayeishev adonai melech l'olam
Adonai oz l'amo yiten
Adonai y'varech et amo vashalom.
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