Back at school today--almost all Talmud all day--from around 11 through 4, plus a meeting with my thesis advisor. He's getting me to sharpen my thinking about what I want to do--I know it is about prayer--but he wants me to really think about what I want to do. So that's on the plate. The latest draft of Thursday's sermon has been submitted.

I'm still mulling over the weekend---so many functions for one person--so many multiple roles. It's weird: one minute you're someone's rabbi, the next minute you're back in your car, listening to tunes, driving home, just being you. Wonder if Clark Kent was Jewish.

Today I was in a room at the home for the aging where I intern where there was a dead body. On Thursday I received a call that the family of this woman wanted me to stop by the room and pray--so I went to the home straight away from the airport in Oakland to the lady's room. She was not conscious-breathing quite heavily. I said a few psalms and a prayer for healing and left. Friday I checked in on her and she was the same. This afternoon I went in and saw that she looked the same but what I didn't know was she either died while I was in her room or shortly after I stepped out of the room. Next thing I know I was in the room with the body and the daughter of the deceased, then her brother, then a friend. It was an interesting situation to be in for an internship. My mentor is away, in Israel, so I was flying solo this weekend.

Our usual location for our Friday night service was unavailable because someone had the flu so the unit was quarintined. My class, services, and havdalah were all moved because of that. When I visited on that floor I had to wear a mask. I'm sure I looked strange.

Because of the change in location we had a smaller, more intimate group on Friday night that was really nice. This morning was a nice crowd.

But what is really clear is that people living here do so with a number of physical challenges that are quite severe in some cases and yet their humanity still shines through it all.

This is the type of learnin' you can't do in the classroom!

Today began a course an Introduction to Feminist Jewish Theology with Rachel Adler---she wrote a book, Engendering Judaism, that won the National Jewish Book Award in 1998. It's a good read because even though it's about theology she still throws in a good deal of humor. I'm the only person of my gender in the class-there are five other women. I thought it might be weird but actually I enjoyed it today. I'm looking forward to it---gay men and women have much in common in terms of our experience.

I also got a free acupuncture treatment at the Student Health Center today at USC....very cool thing to get.

Now I'm reading a book by Mary Douglas called "Leviticus as Literature." I'm only a few pages into it, and I can tell it's a winner. I've also done some reading on the issue of marriage counseling (pre) and stepfamilies for my pastoral counseling class tomorrow. It's been a busy start to the semester--but it feels good.

I will be the first to admit that it really is too bad that I haven't updated the blog as much as I did earlier in my rabbinic school career. It's a nice memoir of this life-changing experience. Or should I say immersive experience. Perhaps that's why there's not been that much writing for pleasure---there's no room in my brain. Right now I'm in the first week of the second semester of my fourth year (got it?) Which means for those of you paying attention that there will be only two semesters after this and then back to the real world--of paying off student loans. Work? What's work!!!!

I'm now working on a sermon that I'll give in the school's synagogue. It's for internal consumption, so I'm writing for this very specific audience--future rabbis and Jewish professionals. I'll be a bit of a spear-chucker, which is a good thing. Why be boring? Why be normal? (No one could ever accuse me of either).

My work at the Jewish Home in San Francisco (jhsf.org) is extremely fulfilling. I love working with my mentor and the residents there. It's been a true blessing to get to know these people. I only hope that if I am lucky enough to reach old age I will be able to stay independent as long as possible and if I have to end up in a home, I hope it'll be like this one.

And now back to our previously scheduled sermon.