Sunday, January 2, 2011

The Life of a Kofer

When going through my regular routine, I have these mental "automatic reminders." For example, every time I walk out of my apartment, there's a ding in my mind, and I ask myself if I have my keys, metrocard, CCNY ID, phone, and wallet. Every time I walk into a public bathroom, a ding goes off, and I check that there are urinals, to reassure myself that I'm in the men's room. If you think about it, you can probably come up with some automatic reminders that you have in your mind.

So Friday night I went with my brother-in-law to shul. We arrived a few minutes before kabbalas shabbos, so there really was no reason for me to daven mincha, but my brother-in-law was davening mincha, and there was nothing else to do, so I turned to page 96 and started saying Ashrei. In middle of Ashrei, a ding went off. It was the did-you-have-kavannah-for-"posech es yadech"? ding. I chuckled inside and ignored it.

14 comments:

  1. Maybe if you'd concentrate you'd have more money.

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  2. pschaw. And maybe if my former roommate had been more careful with her nail parings, her niece wouldn't have been born several months premature.

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  3. no it's not. Did you reckon what the shot would cost?

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  4. Ah, "ashrei", such a beautiful mizmor. I'd love saying it even if I was an atheist..

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  5. e: What would it cost?

    Mottel: How would you know?

    e: Who's laughing?

    Shrikeleh: Why?

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  6. Oh yeah, go to a baal teshuva seminary/yeshiva and the dinging doesn't stop. (Did I wash my hands right? I'm supposed to concentrate on these letters here, stop spacing out! etc.)

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  7. I think FFBs can also ding nonstop. At least in Chicago mesivta they can.

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  8. TRS: Why do I like "ashrei"? It's f*cking meaningful man. What kind of question is that?? : )

    Dings: Halvai we should have a lot more of them...

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  9. Oh, I'm sure they can as well. I just am certain when it comes to the BT institutes.

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  10. e: And you have one now?

    Shriki: It's more meaningful than any other part of Judaism? And if you didn't believe in G-d, it would still be meaningful?

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Forth shall ye all hold.