Howard and the Rabbi

So out of respect to my Tribe, I stayed out of the office yesterday, and out of the fact that I don't get any feelings of connection, I stayed out of Shul.  This has been my pattern the past few years.

I used to work on RH, until a fellow named Ronnie set me straight.  He was married to Wifey's co-worker -- an Ecuadorian Jew.  I remember the conversation distinctly -- it was in our first house, on SW 125 Terrace, in 1987.  Ronnie was a stockbroker -- in fact, the first we ever used.  The High Holidays were coming up, and I told Ronnie I wasn't religious, and was planning to be in the office.  "David -- don't do it.  It's disrespectful -- especially in your case -- a son in law of Survivors.  Don't go to Temple, if you choose, but stay home out of respect for who you are."  His words resonated with me -- I never worked on a RH or YK again.

I tried going to shul, with my friend Rabbi Yossi, but just felt un connected there.  So I go to my pond, and toss my sins in (this year the pond looks like a perfect sin repository, with all the dead trees and leaves and fish carcasses) and on YK fast and maybe catch a service online.

So I went to do some errands yesterday, along with getting our house back to normal.  Brian, a subcontracted pool guy, set up a pump to drain our pool.  It needed a full nine hours to drain -- I followed instructions and pulled the plug when it was nearly dry.  Brian will be back today to clean out the debris, chlorine wash the pool, and begin refilling it.

Danny the cheerful A/C guy came, and replaced the burned out compressor motor.  We joked about what jerks people are -- as he is still in emergency mode, a client called for a "regular service."  Danny politely told her it would have to wait.

I visited Leon's Liquors, my usual place, to get supplies for today's tailgate party.  Howard, Leon's son, is now the owner, and I followed him from the West Miami store to his little corner of Vintage Liquors in Sunniland.  He gives me a 10% discount, and bills me.

I joked with Howard about not being in shul.  And he told me that he was a member for many years, of a now defunct congregation, where a woman rabbi I'll call Jamie, since that's her name, took over.  Howard always suspected she was all show, and little substance, and sure enough, there came a time when Howard and his wife sought comfort -- his wife had a kidney transplant.  The female Rabbi and the "sisterhood" couldn't be bothered --Howard apparently wasn't a big enough macher.  After that, Howard quit.

I shared with him my tale about a Rabbi I call Mark Kram, since that's his name, and how he abandoned Wifey and I a week before our wedding for a free trip to Israel -- a move that poisoned us on organized shuls for many years.

So I bought my booze and we two apostates wished each other a sweet and healthy new year -- in a Sunniland liquor store.

Of course, my friend Yossi texted me about attending.  I replied that I thought my contribution for D1's wedding bought me years of indulgences.

Worse -- Friday night is erev YK.  If I was going to any service, it would be that one -- Kol Nidre.  But, alas, the Canes play at 7:30.  Maybe Tivo is the answer.  I wonder if Yossi will videotape Kol Nidre...