Often times, adventures begin with a single step

At Muhlenberg College, we love to boast about our diversity. People from many states and all walks of life come from miles around to study in these hallowed halls. But what greater representative of diversity is a blonde, blue-eyed, Catholic from the Midwest? Not being from New Jersey is strange enough, but not knowing what a sukkah is around here is practically reason enough for a revocation of my scholarship. I come from the land of potlucks and Lutherans, a holy land called Minneapolis, Minnesota. I knew coming to Muhlenberg would be a bit of a culture shock for me, and I had many questions. Like, what exactly is a Wawa and why are people so obsessed with it? But I was ready to embrace new experiences and insights.

I stretched out of my rigid Midwestern sensibilities Thursday night and took a short walk to the Hillel House to participate in a class about Shabbat, taught by Rabbi Wilensky of Congregation Sons of Israel in Allentown. The class was comprised of me, four members of Hillel, and a friend I had brought to help educate me on Jewish culture. The discussion was fascinating, with topics such as how royalty and government are meant to reflect Hashem [God] and how that outlook can be applied to this upcoming election. The class also discussed symbolism associated with a recent Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur. Rabbi Wilensky discussed how the lunar calendar used in Judaism relates to how people in power are meant to reflect Hashem’s light, like the moon reflects the light of the sun. I was fascinated to learn about the use of lunar symbolism in Judaism. Rabbi Wilensky communicated to us that not only does Judaism follow the lunar calendar, which has an effect on their traditions, but also symbolizes the people of the Jewish faith who have long been compared to the moon, in the way that they wax and wane but never truly disappear, despite all the horrific events that have occurred. The discussion was very lively, with all of the students contributing to the conversation. Rabbi Wilensky did a fantastic job of relating the teachings to college students’ lives without talking down to us. How such a shiksa as me ended up at this highly fascinating lesson is a reflection of how, if you want to experience new things, Muhlenberg College is happy to provide you with many options. The topic of non-Jewish people ironically came up in the discussion, with Rabbi Wilensky explaining that Jewish culture is very accepting of outsiders participating in their traditions, and supposedly can even be recognized by Hashem as doing good deeds, regardless of religious background. Besides completely embarrassing myself by opening the book in the wrong direction, I learned that even a girl raised on rhubarb and a tater-tot hot-dish can find something to love in this culture.