The world’s people are plagued with a curiosity for finding a true purpose, a pure faith and the correct answer to anything ever questioned in this mystic universe. Many turn to religion to satisfy their aching and inquisitive minds but once an answer is found another question will undoubtedly be proposed. Religion is not only a search for the answers to these questions, but also a plethora of other things such as culture, knowledge, a way of life etc. In my opinion, if religion cannot be defined, then what is the point in defining my life or me as a part of any given religion?
Unfortunately for me, my curiosity supersedes that of a cat’s and my plight to find the answer to the world’s questions will be never ending. Although I am currently agnostic and perpetually confused, I was raised in a mixed household with some Roman Catholic and Presbyterian views. My mother influenced my sisters and I with her Roman Catholic background by taking us to church once in a while and sometimes making us pray before bed. As time went on she allowed us to make our own decisions and create our own thoughts about religion and religious practices thus leading me to where I am today. I am painfully curious about religion and which one best suits my ideals and satisfies my questions. Now, learning and exploring religions is the key to satisfying my curiosity. Therefore, it brought me immense elation to be given an opportunity to visit and observe a Saturday Morning Sabbath in a Jewish Orthodox synagogue at the Ohev Shalom Congregation in Miami Beach, Florida. To some, a Jewish Orthodox synagogue might sound intimidating because it has a reputation for being strict and rigid. In fact, I was one of those people. Then, I made my decision to go to Sabbath at an Orthodox synagogue. I cannot deny the fact that I was initially frightened. After all temples are sacred to everyone who attends and being an outsider to this faith and this temple made me feel as if I were violating their holy place. Nonetheless, I did my research and made sure to know what to expect. But, as it turns out, what I found was hardly what I had presumed. Sabbath is a sacred day to many followers of Judaism because it signifies the day G-d rested after creating everything in six days. On Sabbath, Jews are not to work because any such work would be blasphemy. The work includes driving a car, using electricity, using telephones, etc. This traditional practice puzzled me because, as an average American, not “doing work” such as driving and using cell phones seemed utterly impossible. Moreover, I followed the traditional female dress code when attending. I dressed as instructed, a dress below the knees and a blouse that can cover the collarbones and elbows. When I opened the doors of the grand synagogue, I was gleefully greeted in the front room by a gracious and friendly woman named Lisette. Lisette took me under her wing and showed me the beauty of her newly founded faith. The most interesting and unique thing about the Orthodox synagogue was its traditional patriarchic manner of worshipping. There were two sitting sections, one for the men down stairs and one for the women upstairs. Women sit separately so as to not deflect the men from their prayers. Naturally, Lisette took me upstairs and I assisted her in carrying her baby carriage as elevators are not to be used on Sabbath. This experience made me contemplate all these customs that I was not familiar with. As I entered the upstairs female section, I saw that many of the women were dressed as I was and some had their hair covered with hats, meaning they were married and very traditional. The men were all wearing a yarmulkah or kippah. Previously, I had never really understood the purpose of the yarmulkah but later, I found out that it was used to separate humans from the divine. That, in and of itself, was striking because I am not a very religious person and learning how some people cover their heads to show their respect
