I Came, I Saw, I Conquered.

I woke up one day last week with the deep desire to pray with a minyan.  (A minyan is a prayer quorum of ten Jewish adults--Orthodox Jews will only count men.)  My problem was that I wanted to wear my tallis and tefillin, which in Orthodox circles are only worn by men, and the minyanim that meet daily on campus are both Orthodox.

But I didn't let that stop me.  I went to the Rabbi of the Orthodox minyan at Hillel and asked permission to pray with them wearing tallis and tefillin.  This morning I got an official yes! I was so excited, happy, and triumphant.

My experience this morning was an intimidating breath of fresh air.  Intimidating because I was the only one on the women's side of the divider (!) fumbling around in a prayer book with which I am not very familiar.  (I know Sim Shalom, the Conservative movement's prayer book, like the back of my hand; this one, however, was published by Artscroll, an Orthodox publishing company, and the layout is very different.)  The breath of fresh air part came because I am fed up with praying in my room, as if I have something to hide or of which to be ashamed.  It was so...nice to be with a community.

And you know what? Those guys really are community.  Several of them made a point of saying good morning to me afterward.

Veni vidi vici.  I came.  I saw.  I conquered.

Jew-Girl for the win!