The Affrufrffurfurf…
Kenny and I just returned from a short trip to New York that boasted a very long agenda. First on the event list was Kenny’s Aufruf. For those of you who are not in the know, the Aufruf is a ceremony in which a groom is called to the Torah during the morning Torah service to say a blessing over the Torah. Torah Torah Torah. Whew. It’s something of a celebration of entry into married life. It is also the end of a man’s free will, where the ownership of his spirit and manhood are transferred from his mother to his wife-to-be, who then must continue to fight his mother for control of these gems for years to come.
The ceremony was really nice, and I have to say, it was very moving to see Kenny up at the bimah, wearing his tallis (a Jewish prayer shawl- usually only worn by married men in the Orthodox community).
So the Aufruf day began as a rainy Thursday morning, with all the ladies dressed in black (again, New York fashion sense got the best of me- I was also in black). We might have been mistaken for funeral party, save for the basket of candy we were toting that we would later peg Kenny in the head with. Adrienne was concerned about only one thing that morning- when the right time was to pelt Kenny with candy. You may be asking yourself, “Why in the world does she keep talking about hitting Kenny in the head with candy?” The explanation goes something like this—when a boy or man celebrates a milestone in his life, he gets pelted by candy. Bar Mitzvahs and weddings seem to be the most popular events at which to do this. If your mother loves you, she’ll choose soft candies, like Sunkist Gems or Gummi Bears. If you were bad, or you pissed your mom off that morning (like, for example, spilling water on the floor, then wiping it up with your sock while your mother is telling you to wipe it with a paper towel) you’ll get Jolly Ranchers jawbreakers. Kenny’s mom obviously loves him very much, and the water incident didn’t occur until the next day, so Kenny got Sunkist Gems.
As the time came for Kenny to be pegged with the candy, a few thoughts were running through my head. First of all, I was wondering when we were really supposed to be unleashing the candy artillery stash on Kenny. Adrienne asked Steve, and Steve says something like “Just go with the flow.” As Adrienne correctly noted, we were the flow. There were only about 12 women, all armed with candy, and none sure of when to throw it. Thankfully the Rabbi’s wife was sitting with us, so she gave us the go-ahead when the time was right. My second hesitation came a bit too late. As I was hurling the candy, I wondered how I could hit Kenny while avoiding the 5 other men standing at the bimah with Kenny. My aim, and probably that of most of the other women, is not very accurate. I’m pretty sure I nailed the cantor in the head. Lauren, being the loving sister that she is, managed to lob a gem right into Kenny’s head. The service ended shortly after that, Mazel Tovs went around, and we broke for a fantastic breakfast spread that Adrienne put together. The Wedding Mafia was in attendance, and as usual, there was an incredible amount of food. And this was about five hours before Thanksgiving dinner. I’m pretty sure my wedding gown no longer fits.
The ceremony was really nice, and I have to say, it was very moving to see Kenny up at the bimah, wearing his tallis (a Jewish prayer shawl- usually only worn by married men in the Orthodox community).
So the Aufruf day began as a rainy Thursday morning, with all the ladies dressed in black (again, New York fashion sense got the best of me- I was also in black). We might have been mistaken for funeral party, save for the basket of candy we were toting that we would later peg Kenny in the head with. Adrienne was concerned about only one thing that morning- when the right time was to pelt Kenny with candy. You may be asking yourself, “Why in the world does she keep talking about hitting Kenny in the head with candy?” The explanation goes something like this—when a boy or man celebrates a milestone in his life, he gets pelted by candy. Bar Mitzvahs and weddings seem to be the most popular events at which to do this. If your mother loves you, she’ll choose soft candies, like Sunkist Gems or Gummi Bears. If you were bad, or you pissed your mom off that morning (like, for example, spilling water on the floor, then wiping it up with your sock while your mother is telling you to wipe it with a paper towel) you’ll get Jolly Ranchers jawbreakers. Kenny’s mom obviously loves him very much, and the water incident didn’t occur until the next day, so Kenny got Sunkist Gems.
As the time came for Kenny to be pegged with the candy, a few thoughts were running through my head. First of all, I was wondering when we were really supposed to be unleashing the candy artillery stash on Kenny. Adrienne asked Steve, and Steve says something like “Just go with the flow.” As Adrienne correctly noted, we were the flow. There were only about 12 women, all armed with candy, and none sure of when to throw it. Thankfully the Rabbi’s wife was sitting with us, so she gave us the go-ahead when the time was right. My second hesitation came a bit too late. As I was hurling the candy, I wondered how I could hit Kenny while avoiding the 5 other men standing at the bimah with Kenny. My aim, and probably that of most of the other women, is not very accurate. I’m pretty sure I nailed the cantor in the head. Lauren, being the loving sister that she is, managed to lob a gem right into Kenny’s head. The service ended shortly after that, Mazel Tovs went around, and we broke for a fantastic breakfast spread that Adrienne put together. The Wedding Mafia was in attendance, and as usual, there was an incredible amount of food. And this was about five hours before Thanksgiving dinner. I’m pretty sure my wedding gown no longer fits.
posted by Cindy at 11:40 AM
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