Chag II

The second days of Yom Tov were, for the most part, very nice. Shabbos was a normal shabbos, davening and eating way more than is humanly possible. I went to the Jabad on Friday night, where, weirdly, they did hakafos (Jabad does hakafos on both shmini atzeres and simchas torah), and it was actually good, in retrospect, that I was at the friday night hakafos. The rest of shabbos went by very well, with a continuation of the hospitality and good food that I experienced the first days of Yom Tov. Motzaei Shabbos was different. A few people told me that I had to go to one of the Jabads in the area, that it is the place to be for simchas torah. Some other people warned me that the drinking of alcohol was common at that certain Jabad. I figured I would go; how bad could it be? They'd daven maariv, perhaps make kiddush, start hakafos, and then bring out booze. I probably wouldn't imbibe, but it would be a new experience.
I got the Jabad at 7:15 to be on the safe side; I wasn't sure when they would start. I sat in the Jabad for over an hour, learning, talking to people, and watching the preparations. A few people approched me as a new face, which was very nice, including a young autistic fellow. He has been, so far, the only person here who I have been able to talk to, in Spanish, on their own level. Puts thing in a weird perspective. My spirits were lifted a bit when I saw the folks setting up preparing for what looked like a meal. It looked like I'd get free food in the bargain!
Finally, at around 8:30, they started maariv. It also started to rain. To pour. It poured like I had never seen before. The falling of the rain sounded like thunder, it started suddenly, and it lasted the entire night. After maariv, they had to move the tables from the sukkah to the building. By the time all this was done, it was almost 10, and the bookshelves were lined with bottles of vodka. This whole time, people are getting very rowdy, singing and stomping and yelling. They brought out beer for kiddush, which, as far as I know, is totally not a valid kiddush drink. Luckily they did bring out wine for the rabbi to make kiddush. As the rabbi picked up his cup of wine, I could see that he had been pregaming. This tall, white-bearded, otherwise dignified rabbi's eyes were red. Then, when he started making kiddush, my suspicions were confirmed. The kiddush was a mockery. He paused in qeird places and did all kinds of weird sing-songy things with the brachos in order to elicit laughs from the congregants, and completely forgot havdalah. As he was in the middle of Shehechyanu a bunch of peopled yelled out and he changed shehecheyanu to Ha'aish. They served food, and people ate and, of course drank. It was getting way too out of hand for me, and I left early; luckily i had hakafos the previous night. I have nothing in particular against people who drink.
I don't enjoy it myself, I don't quite understand the appeal, but I do see how it can be anjoyable for some. However, if I am ever going to get drunk, it will be socially, with friends, not under so bogus religious pretense. Anyway, when did simchas torah turn into Purim (which also begs the question of why Purim can be synonymous with wild drunken revelry)?
On my way home I met one of the fellows I met at Rav Oppenheimer's shul, Pablo Neustadt, and he invited me upstairs to his neighbor's apartment for dinner. I ended up sleeping there because the rain was falling too hard for a half hour walk home. The people here are amazing.
The next day I went to Rav Oppenheimer's shul which, though also a bit different from home (it is yekki after all), is a bit more orderly and respectful. I also discovered a bit of information about this congregation that blew my mind. This kehillah of around 150-200 orthodox men (and their families, which includes the ashkenazi and sefardi minyanim) are 98% baalei teshuvahs. 98% of these men were not religious at all! That is a huge number! At one point during the luncheon (I will get to that) there were around 50 people in the room and Hungarian fellow I was speaking with told me that, as far as he could tell, he was the only FFB in the room. Amazing. I was also impressed when the sephardi minyan joined the ashkenazi minyan for hakafos and mussaf.
After hakafos the shul had a buffet luncheon sponsored by the Chassan Bereishis with an enormous amount of amazing food.Not only were the tables laden with salads, delis, and sushi, but the waiters continuously brought out platters of kibbeh, lachmanjin, empanadas, potato knishes, and some other meat pastry. At many jewish events the scavengers, the people who hang out by the entrance of the kitchen, usually late-teens and early-twenties, pick the platters clean before they can make their way to the general populace. Not here. Enough food came out so that the scavengers were sated and the normal people got food. Then, more food came, so that evryone had second and thirds. And then more food came. And more. They were still bringing out platters of food as everyone was sitting down to bentch. I've never seen anything like it. There is always that one really good tray at the wedding or bar-mitzvah or luncheon that someone didn't get. Not here. It was amazing. I am going to be ridiculously fat by the time I get home.