Last day of class for third year

As the title says today was the last day of classes in my third year.  And it was quite a busy one, started with services as normal. The liturgy in which Emily and I had presentations. Both went well, I think.  Then after a very short break it was into Rabbinic Literature Insensitive, again we had presentations (there are more students in this class).  I was happy with how this presentation went also.  After a lunch time meeting of the student-society with the principle we had midrash. We studied a short midrash topical for Shavuot.
Then after a trip to the library it was time to go home, none too soon.  So all I have left to do is:

Short bit written work for Rabbinic Literature (although it is assessed and does carry marks)
One essay more or less from Scratch
re-drafting one (needs major work)
finish of last essay.

Then all I have to do is find time to work on my limmud thing, oh and there is still Kol-Bo.

An earlier than expected update.

I should not be blogging, I should be working but hey there is nothing like procrastination.  Also it does feel as if, my third year has ended not absolutely true I have one more full day of school left, Monday. But not that many classes. As I have two presentations. One class will be almost entirely presentations by the students. The other class although we have presentations there will also probably be time for a closing of the semester (liturgy). The after lunch the very last academic class of the year (midrash).

Then I have one mini-written piece to do, albeit that it is assessed.  A couple of days to do the preparation on the education essay, and of course Shavout. Before going on study leave/family holiday.  

During which I need to write my Education essay. Then when I get back back I need to finish the Rabbinic literature essay and re-work the one for midrash. So thats where I stand with work.

Since my last posting I have had what is more or less my last posting at Jewish Care.  And have had a couple of meetings about my fourth year. More details about that in latter postings. And of course there was the Kaufmann dinner. That made for one very tiring Thursday.

This is a photo of me and Emily at the end of the dinner. 

Looking further ahead. I have Kol Bo, and the MRJ music conference and then I really am totally done with the third. Albeit that I shouldn't count my chickens until they are hatched.  I also need to fit work in on the thing I doing with Limmud, for which I have meeting tomorrow. And of course fit in a meeting with my rabbinic tutor. So even when I am less busy I will still be very busy. 

Middles are hard as well

All beginings are difficult as it says in the Talmud, but in there own way middles seem really hard also, in someways harder than beginnings, currently I find myself not lost in ocean of Talmud but lost in the forest of rabbinical school.  It now feels like I have been at this for a very long time.  And in some ways I have those days of sitting in my garden revising Hebrew like mad, before having meaningful conversations with my fellow incoming students seem a long long time ago. And indeed they were that was all happening in April and May 2010!, but it still feels as if I have a long way still to travel and I do. Two whole years.  It has taken so much to get to this point.  And the third year is not yet over.  It is almost over, but there is still much left to do.  So far I have done my Essays for Prophets, Liturgy, Piyyutim, Midrash (almost, I have a very good first draft but it still needs some work), Rabbinic literature intensive (well in hand but its horribly complex) then we reach the subjects which are less prepared and ready to go. Education interesting but I'm struggling, and Rambam which I still haven't really started yet.
So standing between me and the end of my third are: Whats left of classes, not many now. One presentation (on the 13th) I had a presentation yesterday as well.  Additionally I have some Jewish Care Norward placement visits.  Two full essays, one part essay and writing another.  Put that way it sounds like a lot.  However, it does feel as if I've turned out of the last corner of the lap and am on the home-straight even if there are two more years to go and 795 days.

Well I am teaching in a synagogue tomorrow and leader services at school and I have a lot to do before I can go to sleep so I had better get of this blog and go and do something.

799

So as of today I have less than 800 days to go until ordination. 799, in fact.  Today was a fairly typical Thursday, so because its Thursday it started out with Jewish Care (over at Jewish Care Direct).  This was interesting today (although it did get off to something of a rough start).
Although a really nice thing was bumping into my cousin Clear at Jewish Care.  Then it was back to LBC to have one of our reflective session.  Rather than doing it in a classroom or even the room or prayer we headed out into the LBC grounds to have the session there.
Then rather than working in the Library I picked up what I need and then headed home. Party just to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts.
Anyway essays to write, presentations to prepare, reports to write, and the like.

Today was a good day

Its amazing what a little sunshine and warmth can do to left my mood. But today has been a busy day and one filled with work but it was nevertheless a good day.  This was due two two factors. Firstly because it had breaks in it, yes actually breaks. And secondly because its sunny.
I slept until my alarm went off at 7am and then headed off to college, I normally wake earlier than this so this alone the little extra-sleep got the day off to good start.  The walk to school was much more pleasant than it has been in ages, the sun was shinning and the world of nature was waking, birds singing and butterflies and other insects abounded.
The morning service was led by a visiting rabbi who had come to talk to us about Rabbi Dr. John Rayner, this was very interesting and it was also a very pleasant service.  I then had quite a sizeable break (very nice and very rare) so I did some preparations in the library and then went and did my reading for class outside in the fresh air.
My next class was on Rambam and was very interesting, I feel that I am starting to get to grips with the some of his ideas.
After lunch (more time outdoors) we had one of our extended Rabbinic literature class.  We are looking at a fascinating section of Tractate Kiddushin, during class we also looked at how to use various on-line resources to help with writing our essays.
After that I went to the library and did some more work on my Midrash and Rabbinic literature essays.
I then came back to the flat and did some more work.  I still hope to get a relatively early night but I still have some preparation to do for Piyyutim class tomorrow. But today was a really gently pleasant day.

Oh so very busy

I am very busy.  Partly this is because I need to get on top of a lot of work. I have seven essays this semester. That's right seven.  I don't think that I have had seven essays to write since I was in High School.
And although I have started working on them already its still going to be very hard to get all of this done.
We are also being worked very hard by our teachers in various subjects. Lots of translations, and readings and other work.
In addition to that there are all the other little things that fill up ones time; as well of course as the other things I have taken on on a voluntary bases (I really must be mad!).  The result is I am really tired nearly all the time. I wake up tired and then stay tired all day. Its kinda like being back in Israel only with out the fun, or being in Israel and with extra-snow in March. Just because.
Despite being run off my feet I am pretty happy...my pastoral placement is going smoothly and is really much better than it was before.  I also feel that somewhere and somehow I am continuing to grow into my (no-longer)-new-role as rabbi to be.
Any way I had better go and do some more work. And then go to sleep.

Lots of work and assessments.

I am still working away on essays. I have fully finished two now and am well on the way to finishing my third essay.  I actually enjoyed working on them this time around. And I think that they are pretty good. Although I know that I can never tell if they are good or not.

I still have my presentation to work but I am not worried about that either, in fact it should be fun. It is not due until the 28th of January so I have plenty of time really.

Although the semester has not started yet we have had catch up classes, one for Rabbinic literature (which was today).  And one last week which was also more or less Rabbinic literature we also had a liturgy class that day. So all in all I'm still rather busy.

It has turned very cold here we even had some snow, beautiful but it made travelling about rather difficult.

Apart from that it has been just the general admin kind of stuff that keeps that just fills up time and seems never ending.

Essays

I am busy working on essays at the moment, I have three which need to be completed in relatively short order (although I am nowhere near the dead line as of yet). My psalms easy is very nearly finished. All that remains is to translate some Rashi for one of my appendices and too add a couple of lines about Ibn Ezra's comments, apart from that its done. (It will of course need to be corrected) I am actually really happy with it, its a good essay.
I am also working on an essay on the Aleinu (for liturgy of course), this is coming together nicely although its a more demanding topic and naturally I am not making life easy for myself. But nevertheless it is coming together well.
I am really only at the note taking and reading stage for my history essay. But even so I am happy with how the whole is forming in my mind.
But as always I am struck by how diverse essay topics (and for that matter presentations) like together and one part of one essay triggers something in another.
It is one of those things that makes being a student and studying worthwhile.

On a different note I am enjoying the rest of being back home.  Recovering from the year so far at LBC and of course from Limmud.

2012-2013

There are but a few minutes of 2012 left and I find myself alone and working. Not that this brothers me any. In fact given how I spend a deal of my time it seems most suitable really.  I am back in Stoke and although Rebecca and Said and Aaron were here earlier they have gone now and mum and dad are in bed.  I have been working on my essays all day and have more or less finished the one for psalms. It is about 90% done.  I still have a single paragraph to right and I need to add a fourth appendix and then it is done.
I have been preparing for my essay on the Aleinu-essay. The third essay is in many ways both the most interesting and most difficult it is for history and on the subject of the Kararites.  I have been researching it today. Mainly by reading Kararites websites.  I was surprised a) that there are still Kararites and b) still so much opposition to Pharisaic-Judaism (even using that term says a lot).
Anyway as the fireworks have started I know that it is now 1st of January 2013.
I will probably head off to bed soon so as to be able to work better tomorrow.

Second Lech Lecha vist

I have just returned from my second lech lecha visit. This time it was to Herefordshire to a small Liberal Community based around the area in the Malven hills.  I wasn't feeling all that well so I found it rather difficult.
My sermon went well, there were challenging points but I was prepared to deal with any possible fallout so that was okay.  The community has a mini-scroll so it made reading rather hard. But all in all I am pleased with how things went.
I am currently very busy with things to do for Monday so will have to go and get on with them soon. I am reading Torah at school on Monday and have a mini-essay to write.

Last week I was very worried for my friends in New York and across the Eastern Seaboard. I have heard from the new and everyone was okay, Laura was safe in Virginia although she was stuck for a few days and unable to get home for a few days.

Now on with the rest of November.