Rock Around The Clock

I'm like 99% sure that Max C. Freedman and Jimmy de Knight originally intended to name their song "Participate in Jewish Learning Around the Clock" in honor of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot (where one is supposed to stay up all night learning). For some reason, "Participate in Jewish Learning" got dropped in favor of "Rock." I think the syllables fit better or something. I bring up this story because one of my most powerful religious experiences took place on Shavuot. I remember vividly being overwhelmed, as a 13 year old boy, trying to stay up all night learning with my father in Jerusalem. At sunrise we joined the masses of people walking down to the Western Wall for the morning prayers. This past week I returned to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot with Michelle. We attended a number of different lectures throughout the night - including an interesting presentation about Judaism's take on genetic engineering - and walked down to the Western Wall at sunrise. It was again a moving experience and an expanded plaza allowed much greater mobility than my earlier experience. Also different was the relatively new egalitarian prayer service, which Michelle and I participated in, that was held towards the southern end of the Wall. To sum things up: I studied. I walked. I prayed. I then walked back and slept for a long time. I'm not as young as I used to be.