A shul's a shul for all that.

So I'm on vacation this week, and that means davening at my away-from-home shul. It's a lovely place, Temple Solel, and I've been there, oh, I think this was my third or fourth time, so I'm kinda getting a feel for their rhythms and melodies. The differences aren't THAT great, but it's interesting to me how much difference there is.

Right off the bat, Temple Solel has an interesting practice: They bless and wrap tallitot all together. The first time I experienced this, I had no idea it was coming, so of course I had already said the bracha and was standing there al-Tzitzit, but I've come to expect it now. I like how the community emphasizes the importance of the Tallit this way, and I also like how it draws attention away from individual moments under the Tallit (in the past, especially in VERY libearl congregations, I've been a bit self-conscious about standing with my tallis over my head).

The differences go on from there, from the slight to the significant. The major pieces were all there, of course, from opening prayers to psalms, the Kriat Sh'ma, the Amidah, the Torah service, and Alienu. And while I'm getting more comfortable at my shul-away-from-shul, I was aware of how much I take for granted the practices I'm used to. These little things reminded me of how difficult kavanah can really be--but I will say this: Temple Solel is beautiful, the Cantor and Rabbi do an excellent job, and the community is all very kind.

Ah, well. Home to Beth Torah on next Shabbat!