Diary 27
Diary 27 - 2 pipers piping, 1 scribe a-scribing.
This was actually the first ever siyyum
(completion ceremony) I had been scribe in charge of (so to speak). The Edinburgh community had planned it meticulously and one of the highlights for me was that the Torah
was not merely to be carried in to the hall under a canopy held by four members of the congregation but was to be piped in by real Scottish pipers sporting kilts. Indeed the piper had apparently composed a new piece of music specially for the event.
The service had been put together by one of the congregants and culminated in the filling in of the last two letters by the oldest and youngest members of the community.
Lots and lots of pictures were taken by many photographers. Though the hardest of all was when I was doing hagba’ah for some 10 minutes whilst they tried to get a ‘good shot’! The whole thing went off without a hitch with no surprises, and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly as befits such an important event in the life of a Jewish community - large or small. For more on siyyumim click here.
Below: Some photos from the day. Not entirely sure who took what otherwise I would add some photo credits.
The service had been put together by one of the congregants and culminated in the filling in of the last two letters by the oldest and youngest members of the community.
Lots and lots of pictures were taken by many photographers. Though the hardest of all was when I was doing hagba’ah for some 10 minutes whilst they tried to get a ‘good shot’! The whole thing went off without a hitch with no surprises, and everyone enjoyed themselves thoroughly as befits such an important event in the life of a Jewish community - large or small. For more on siyyumim click here.
Below: Some photos from the day. Not entirely sure who took what otherwise I would add some photo credits.
Piping in the Torah
in the streets of Edinburgh. The last two letters in kol yisrael
were to be filled in by the oldest member of the community and the youngest who had just turned bar-mitsvah. A lovely idea. It was also covered by the Edinburgh News which surprised some of business colleagues in the Call Centre Association in Glasgow who weren't aware of my 'other' job.
However there was one suprise left and that was the airport going home after a lovely meal shared with my hosts. Going through the x-ray machines, the security people stopped me and asked me if I had anything in my bag. Suddenly I realised that I was actually carrying a bag full of knives of various kinds for cutting and shaping quills, sizing parchment, cutting patches etc etc. I didn’t ever think of them as blades but more as tools. ‘Oh my gosh’, I suddenly exclaimed, slapping my forehead, ‘I’ve got a bag full of knives!’ One stanley knife, two craft knives, scissors, needles and spare blades, to be precise. Eyeing me suspiciously I tried to explain what they were for and what I had been doing with them mere hours earlier. Fortunately my kit was also full of quills, animal sinews and other assorted paraphanelia and they believed me, but quite rightly made me put my luggage in the hold.
However the really scary thing is that I had exactly the same stuff in my bag going out of Heathrow to Edinburgh a day earlier. I hadn’t realised but neither did airport security. Bit worrying that!
Finally and not really related to sofrut
but just carrying on the Scottish theme, for the last few years I've been a regular attender at the Romford United Synagogue Annual Burns Night Celebration as the rabbi there, a friend is very Scottish! So if you'd like to hear a bit of bagpipes and see some kosher haggis (brought down from Glasgow) tatties and neeps, roast beast, and experience the clan lament, Selkirk Grace at one end and Birkat Hamazon at the other and much single malt, the video I put together below will give you a bit of a taste.
