Wedding synopsis, part one
I was so tired from the wedding on Monday and I was mostly out yesterday, I haven't really had the opportunity to write in my journal until now. For those of you whom I didn't give details, my sister Reina got married this past weekend to Ari Kutner.
So, if you'd like to hear all about it, follow the link. This recounts Thursday, November 8, through Saturday, November 10.
For starters, I have to say, my sister really surprised me. She was such a joy to have and was really terrific. We were all excited and couldn't wait for company and other highlights.
*Thursday*
Reina, Mom and I went to the University of Judaism (now called the American Jewish University) to go the the mikvah (for those of you not familiar, a mikvah is a body of natural water that is used for a ritual bath). It is done to purify the bride before a wedding. The woman who helped us was wonderful, and the ceremony was very spiritual. My mom had even said she came in not knowing much about it, but we were given the whole story. It was very informative. While I was there, I happened to have a Doctor Who book with me, and a woman from the next office came in, saw it, and said that she had been a Doctor Who fan for years. Wow! She also explained the show to my mom better than I ever could.
*Friday*
The beginning of the long weekend. Reina and I first went to breakfast, and also to meet the DJ to confirm the music and schedule. Afterwards, we came home and went to have manicures and pedicures. After everything dried (which took FOREVER) we took our dog Lucy on a walk, picked up a few things, then headed home to get ready for company and Friday night dinner.
Mom's cousin Mitchell, his wife Amy, and their daughter Aliza, were coming from New York, and we were really excited. We also had my uncle and his wife over for Shabbat dinner. Aliza's birthday was that week, along with her bat mitzvah day (the actual ceremony will be done next year) so she gave the D'var Torah (basically a summary of the Torah portion read for the week) and she did a great job. Katie, our aunt, also had a birthday, so we gave them each a gift and sang 'happy birthday'. My mom had soooo much good food that by the end of the evening, we were all stuffed. I could barely move. In addition to the presents, my sister gave me one, too, for being her maid of honor. She had bought it from my grandfather's business partner (my grandfather was a gold jeweler). It was a round pendant with a Star of David on it and a tiny sapphire in the center.
*Saturday*
I was still so full from the night before, I didn't even have breakfast. We got ready, my sister and parents went in one car, and I took a separate car to pick up my great aunt. I actually flew over the freeways that morning (a rare and wonderful occasion), picked her up and got the temple before the Torah was taken out. A bunch of his family was there, and several members of ours were, too, along with a few friends.
It was a very full congregation, for there was a bar mitzvah, a blessing for a newborn and a blessing for Reina and Ari, plus it was Rosh Chodesh (beginning of a new month in the Hebrew calendar). Whew! I had never seen so much candy thrown for one day (candy is thrown for a happy occasion at a synagogue when someone is called up to the Torah) and the service took longer than expected. A little slip-up was made when Ari was called up for an aliyah (blessing before and after a portion of the Torah is read), the rabbi and cantor accidentally said my name instead of my sister's (argh), and later the rabbi came up to my mom and said that it was fate - that I was going to be the next to get married. Great.
The rabbi also called up Ari and Reina up to his podium to give them both a blessing, a real honor to our family. FYI: our synagogue is Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) and Orthodox-Conservative. Women do not get called up to the Torah for readings, and it is usually custom to bless the groom while the bride stays in the pews. But we have a long history with the temple, for our grandparents, Mom's parents, had played a very important role in establishing the synagogue, and were very much recognized by the community. It was a very beautiful gesture, and it shows how much the synagogue respects us.
After the long services, Reina jumped into my car and our great aunt went with my parents. We sat on the freeway for over an hour (good ol' L.A. traffic) and got home to prepare for more guests and more food. We also ended the evening with Havdalah, a service marking the end of Shabbat.
So, if you'd like to hear all about it, follow the link. This recounts Thursday, November 8, through Saturday, November 10.
For starters, I have to say, my sister really surprised me. She was such a joy to have and was really terrific. We were all excited and couldn't wait for company and other highlights.
*Thursday*
Reina, Mom and I went to the University of Judaism (now called the American Jewish University) to go the the mikvah (for those of you not familiar, a mikvah is a body of natural water that is used for a ritual bath). It is done to purify the bride before a wedding. The woman who helped us was wonderful, and the ceremony was very spiritual. My mom had even said she came in not knowing much about it, but we were given the whole story. It was very informative. While I was there, I happened to have a Doctor Who book with me, and a woman from the next office came in, saw it, and said that she had been a Doctor Who fan for years. Wow! She also explained the show to my mom better than I ever could.
*Friday*
The beginning of the long weekend. Reina and I first went to breakfast, and also to meet the DJ to confirm the music and schedule. Afterwards, we came home and went to have manicures and pedicures. After everything dried (which took FOREVER) we took our dog Lucy on a walk, picked up a few things, then headed home to get ready for company and Friday night dinner.
Mom's cousin Mitchell, his wife Amy, and their daughter Aliza, were coming from New York, and we were really excited. We also had my uncle and his wife over for Shabbat dinner. Aliza's birthday was that week, along with her bat mitzvah day (the actual ceremony will be done next year) so she gave the D'var Torah (basically a summary of the Torah portion read for the week) and she did a great job. Katie, our aunt, also had a birthday, so we gave them each a gift and sang 'happy birthday'. My mom had soooo much good food that by the end of the evening, we were all stuffed. I could barely move. In addition to the presents, my sister gave me one, too, for being her maid of honor. She had bought it from my grandfather's business partner (my grandfather was a gold jeweler). It was a round pendant with a Star of David on it and a tiny sapphire in the center.
*Saturday*
I was still so full from the night before, I didn't even have breakfast. We got ready, my sister and parents went in one car, and I took a separate car to pick up my great aunt. I actually flew over the freeways that morning (a rare and wonderful occasion), picked her up and got the temple before the Torah was taken out. A bunch of his family was there, and several members of ours were, too, along with a few friends.
It was a very full congregation, for there was a bar mitzvah, a blessing for a newborn and a blessing for Reina and Ari, plus it was Rosh Chodesh (beginning of a new month in the Hebrew calendar). Whew! I had never seen so much candy thrown for one day (candy is thrown for a happy occasion at a synagogue when someone is called up to the Torah) and the service took longer than expected. A little slip-up was made when Ari was called up for an aliyah (blessing before and after a portion of the Torah is read), the rabbi and cantor accidentally said my name instead of my sister's (argh), and later the rabbi came up to my mom and said that it was fate - that I was going to be the next to get married. Great.
The rabbi also called up Ari and Reina up to his podium to give them both a blessing, a real honor to our family. FYI: our synagogue is Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) and Orthodox-Conservative. Women do not get called up to the Torah for readings, and it is usually custom to bless the groom while the bride stays in the pews. But we have a long history with the temple, for our grandparents, Mom's parents, had played a very important role in establishing the synagogue, and were very much recognized by the community. It was a very beautiful gesture, and it shows how much the synagogue respects us.
After the long services, Reina jumped into my car and our great aunt went with my parents. We sat on the freeway for over an hour (good ol' L.A. traffic) and got home to prepare for more guests and more food. We also ended the evening with Havdalah, a service marking the end of Shabbat.