Dropped off in Allentown by the Rabbi

Today was harrowing. I finally got to interview the rabbi, but it was a long day.

Today, the rabbi decided to move his things out of the synagogue space that he was renting from the Buddhist lady. It’s probably for the best; the police said she had worn a trail from her door to theirs (Not that they were on her side or that she had good cause, they actually looked a little annoyed with the whole predicament).

I had planned to leave by noon, so as to be able to bike the 100 miles to Allentown in a day and a morning. But the rabbi needed my help, so I cut him a deal. He was going to New York City that day anyways, so if he would take me halfway to Allentown, I’d be able to stay and help him.

I helped him clean out a storage space in his house, and then the heavy moving began. First, there was a futon, then a piano, then a couch. Everything went between a house, a truck, and the synagogue. I’m in pretty good shape, but as I’ve said before, I have little to no upper body muscles. I was straining myself and trying to look tough.

When we arrived at the synagogue, the lady seemed stand-offish, but nice enough. It was obvious there was tension between her and the rabbi, as she wouldn’t even give him keys to come back later and get the rest of his stuff. Luckily, she hadn’t thrown away the mezuzas as she said she’d done, and everything in the synagogue was untouched. The rabbi said she probably had more respect for the Jewish religion than he had assumed.

Here’s a pic of me moving the couch:

Right before we left, I got to interview the rabbi. He was a bit difficult, as when I asked him why they call him the Rock ‘n Roll Rabbi. “You’ll have to ask them,” he replied. I thought that was a bit snarky, as most people know why they have the nicknames they do, even if it’s not their idea. But, whatever.

Then, he played me some music for my recording. He’s really a very talented musician, and has written songs that reflect his spiritual disposition. Some lines from the song he sang me:

“I sit and wait for a sign
For love to come my way
Lord don’t think I’m attached to any particular outcome
I’m just trying to go in plain sight
Though the tunnel keeps on narrowing
I see it widen up ahead.”

As the hours went by, it was clear that I wasn’t going to be able to make it to the halfway point before nightfall. So the rabbi offered to drive me all the way to Allentown, which was very nice of him.

So we packed everything up and left. Here’s a picture of the Chabad house, with Mad Dog acting crazy in the driveway:

Right before we departed, a rainbow appeared above the town:

I thought it was beautiful, and a good sign. The rabbi disagreed.

“Do you know what a rainbow means in the Torah?” he asked.

I said of course, it was God’s promise after the flood of Noah’s Ark to never kill off mankind like that again; a good thing.

“No,” he said. “It means He won’t but that He wants to.”

I replied that if it were a bad sign, he shouldn’t make it so pretty. I’d get the message much better if there was a big Mr. Yuck sticker in the sky. A rainbow, even if it’s a multicolored frown, is still too pretty to be scary.

So off we drove, listening to funk music that made the rabbi happy, me content, and Mad Dog annoyed. Mad Dog obviously hated the music, but the rabbi was unfazed. In retrospect, it’s a good example of the rabbi’s outlook. He’s often close-minded to the opinions of others, especially about religion.

He was raised by a Jewish family that wasn’t very religious, the very thing he rails against today. He gave up on his faith when his bar mitzvah was more a farce than a religious ceremony. But eventually he came back to faith, dabbling in Buddhism and other religions. He chose Orthodox Judaism because it seemed to him as the right path, essentially the only path.

So what has he to gain from listening to other religious perspectives? If he has the right path, he won’t need to change his mind, and can only get distracted by half-truths. This is why he drives so many of the punky kids in Woodstock crazy. The rabbi has his path, and can’t adapt to the others around him. But who am I to judge? He might be right.

Anyhow, he dropped me off at my friend John’s house, where they drank whiskey and watched a movie before heading out. My friend was exhausted, however, and just went to bed: