אני קושית יפה/I’m a Cute Black Girl Pg 62
Jews will find any reason to gather and celebrate. Last night 
was the festival that we celebrated.
…the day Jews celebrate the end of reading the Torah and Beginning it again…
After praying in Shul we gathered, in the hall, into a large circle and from one end to the other the Torah Scroll was unraveled and everyone got to hold up part of it. It was remarkable getting the honor to actual hold part of the Torah. Obviously we used out finger tips and stood as still as possible. 
But what was remarkable about last night was when we all danced and sang together there was no segregation and everyone was just 1 big family. Regardless of
We sang a few songs which took me back to my camp days, when we used to shout the songs from the Kikar.
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It is so hard to rationalize how a nation that is so loving to all, can be hated by so many. The Rabbi said something interesting to us last night…well he always says something interesting, I think that is the main MO of being a Rabbi. Anyway so he spoke about how Simchat Torah is not about the beginning of Judaism, which actually didn’t beginning when G-d created man, Simchat Torah is the beginning of the Torah. While the Torah Scroll was held open by the whole congregation the Rabbis explained and pointed out the 5 books of the Torah…some of us whispered how we found it remarkable they knew exactly where each book began and what each book was when it just looked like a whole lot of scribbles to us…When the Rabbi got towards the end of the Torah he pointed out where Moses died, and how he never got to embark on the Promised Land after walking through the wilderness for 44 years. Quite a real bummer to have suffered so long and to have pushed so much and not to reach your end goal. That is what you would think, but the Rabbi pointed out that it is not always about reaching your goal, sometimes you need to appreciate and recognize the journey. Like Moses in the beginning had a stutter and was too embarrassed to speak to the Pharaoh; when he asked him to release the Israelites, but at the end of his life he was now a man who could speak and lead a whole nation.
Makes me think about my journey this past year. I started off with living my life just for me and my husband and how I was content living a life with minimal socializing with other people and friends and family. I think I was embarrassed with the way my life had turned out; 
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but with this conversion, even though I have yet to graduate and complete the course, and even though I often feel like I should be doing so much more, I have to appreciate the journey. I have found a new community and family. I have found myself, or at least the person that I used to be…
