A Day For Me, and Some Other Minor Kvetching

[debka_notion]

I took a serious day for myself today. I did very little during most of the day- I spent a chunk of time napping without having to worry too much about where I needed to be right afterwards, and just hanging around. I should have done homework, but I just seriously needed some time just to be. It worked out well- I went to minyan, had a surprise breakfast visit, spent the day relaxing, and then went to a talk about Judaism in the Czech Republic and then to dancing this evening, where I think I spent nearly as much time talking with Steve as dancing.

I'm finding it both interesting and rather frustrating that I can't go to dancing and just dance and hang out anymore. Someone always has to pull the "oh, she's a rabbinical student" card, and I get questions. And I'm happy to have those conversations, but I wish I could have them without the professional hat on. I know, this is going to be my life. And some of it is that this is still a new dance community for me, and will be for a while. Once people get to know me, a bunch of the questions get answered, and don't have to be asked again. Also, then I'm a person, and not just a role, so they can just chat comfortably, hopefully. We'll see how this theory works out. But what used to be a social outlet is now only partially that. But when I have to have this very artificial conversation about how person x whom I've never met was such a great hebrew school principal, just because she was also a rabbinical student and wore a kippah, well- it's frustrating. So was the conversation last night from someone who saw me the one time I was at KOE and wanted to know why I hadn't gone back since, after he had already spoken disparagingly of the same d'var torah that folks had praised at lunch on Shabbos, and then needed me to explain that halakha isn't a monolithic thing- that there is often more than one acceptable halakhic opinion on any issue depending on origin, time period, circumstances, approach, etc, and all that visible within Orthodoxy alone... I know, that's exactly the sort of education I want to put out there. But to be almost chastized for not showing up somewhere to daven by someone who has no idea why I would or wouldn't chose to go there regularly felt unpleasant.

Comments

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

You need a business card, which you hand to people politely and say you're off-duty but if they want to call you during office hours they can. Honestly. Like if you were a lawyer or a doctor. I usually get asked sofer questions on shabbat, and if they're annoying me I say I prefer not to talk business on Shabbat and change the subject - same principle.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a good strategy. Hmm- how to go about assembling a business card. This is something new to me...

[wildblueyonder2.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm ... hope I wasn't in the "annoying me" category when I asked you a few weeks ago about this (assuming that (1) you're the person I think you are in real life and (2) I think I prefaced my comment with "if you're willing to answer this for probably the umpteenth time..."). As explained above, I actually have some academic interest in halakha and modernity.

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

You were fine I think- at least, I'm not remembering it too specifically, so it can't have been really annoying, don't worry. It's usually just the folks at dancing who have no basis where I can start explaining things but still think that they know all about Judaism and such...

I'm pretty sure I'm who you think I am. You forwarded me an email about our mutual friends who are moving across the country. This confirms things?

[(Anonymous)]

Actually, that comment was for hatam soferet, not you . . . . I know who you are :-) :-) :-)

[wildblueyonder2.livejournal.com]

ugh. silly web browser lost the cookie and decided to mark me "anonymous" for some reason...

[hatam-soferet.livejournal.com]

No - you see, if you'd been annoying me, I would've given you a business card and changed the subject :) 'S how you can tell. I like talking to interesting people about interesting stuff. Don't like talking prices and logistics, is all.