As I have stated previously, one of the most daunting things for me about becoming more religious is learning how to daven correctly. So in order to find an environment that is sufficiently comfortable to learn, I have been shopping shuls. It is wonderful now that my family is in a Jewish community; I actually have choices. Also, it is nice to be wanted. We have had Shabbos lunch at a different rabbi’s house for several weeks in a row. I am sure I won’t have the pleasure of having the same access to the heads of these shuls over time, but we are enjoying it while it lasts.
I sincerely hope that the interest rabbis in the community have shown in me is about my neshama and not my pocketbook. One of the most distasteful elements of dealing with certain Jewish leaders in the past was the sense that they did not really care about my and my family’s well-being, but rather, what they were really looking for was another donor. I understand that all things take financial resources, but in the past it was more than annoying that every little shiur came around to how important tzedaka is, and that one should give more than one believes he can afford. Hashem will repay more than you give. Generally I believe this, but was it necessary to say it each time we sat down to study, especially when I stated on more than one occasion that we were giving what we could afford? Anyway that has not been my experience thus far.
So, as I have shopped around, I am once again blown away by the wide spectrum of personalities and traditions in the Orthodox world. There are so many issues. Which shuls are strict about not talking during davening? Which are more Zionist? Which daven faster and which slower? Which have the Ark on the correct wall. Some are more “urban,” while others have a more suburban feel. And these are just the basic issues; I am sure I don’t even understand the real issues yet. Anyway, this is why I am not going to rush to “pick a rabbi” and shul. I have waiting this many decades, a couple more months won’t kill me.
You don’t necessarily have to commit to just one shul. You’ll probably only pay for membership and its benefits at one, but I very much doubt anyone’s going to object to your shul-hopping on different occasions or at different times of the week. You may not be there yet, but lots of people have the minyanim that are convenient for mincha or maariv, and the one for shacharis on some or all weekdays, on bank holidays, on Shabbos, on festivals, and so on.
Anyway, I’ve just stumbled upon your blog and read to here. I hope you’re going to continue, as it’s very interesting and well-written.