You’re Invited!
Yagilu Chol HaMoed Minyan at the Kotel
Thursday, Sep 27 at 8:15 am
Front Right of the Kotel Plaza

“Do these people know what they’re getting themselves into?” I thought to myself.

We were standing by a Bima in the Kotel plaza, recruiting the last few guys needed for a Minyan. It was Chol HaMoed Sukkos, and the Yagilu guys in Israel were getting together for the annual Chol HaMoed Minyan at the Kotel. This Minyan features a beautiful davening, starring Yagilu Niggunim throughout Hallel and some dancing at the end. Our Minyan has even been featured in an Uncle Moishy video!

I always look forward to this Minyan as a Chol HaMoed highlight. But every so often, a twinge of foreboding niggles in the back of my mind while recruiting. Will fellow Jews who had never been to Yagilu, who didn’t know our unique nigunnim, appreciate our ruach? Would they feel like they were sucked into a never-ending happy Minyan? Sure, this is a gamble you take whenever you join a Minyan at the Kotel.  But how would these other people respond to the length and ruach of this Minyan?

The overwhelming majority of people don’t respond the way I expect.

We start our davening normally enough. By now, we’ve learned to push our Bima as close to the Wall as we can so as to avoid the sun which scorches the plaza later in the morning. When we get to Hallel, though, we really break loose. R’ Tani takes the Bima, if he hasn’t been davening yet, and belts out the Bracha. From the first Mizmor, we’re already singing away. The Yagilu guys are excited for this and get right into it.

Three Groups

I’ve noticed three reactions from the non-Yagiluers who join the Minyan over the course of the davening. Some love it – they join in for the songs they know, smile and dance for the ones they don’t. After davening, they gush about how leibedik it was. They want to know who we are, where we’re from and the whole story. Others, at the first sign of song, leave the Minyan and try their luck with another group. A third group seems thrown off by our enthusiasm, and don’t know how to respond. As our Hallel continues, they gradually morph into either Group 1 or 2.  They either get into the spirit along with us, or walk out and find another Minyan. The majority of people have ended up as Group 1-ers, joining us for years of beautiful tefillos and adding to our davening as inspired Minyan-members. What happened this past year, though, was unprecedented.

Can’t Get Enough Of It!

A couple of older men joined our minyan and they loved the davening from beginning to end. As we neared the end of davening and began dancing around the bima to one last song, they pulled R’ Tani aside to ask what our story was. R’ Tani explained Camp Yagilu, the emphasis on happiness in life and specifically in Avodas Hashem, and the power of one good song with meaningful words to power our emotions. These two men were so impressed! However, they didn’t leave it at that. On the spot, one of them invited Tani to come lead a Kumzitz at his apartment later that night. He wanted more, and wanted to share it with his family, too!

Another time we davened together, a slow-moving old man came over and smiled so large while humming one of the songs that he had just learned from us. Then – surprise! – he pulled out his harmonica and started playing that same song. Everyone jumped into the dance around the Bima one more time. What a happy celebration of the Yom Tov!

Most years, everyone gets together after the Minyan for a Chol HaMoed ‘potluck’ breakfast somewhere in the Old City. Often, the alumni on their years in Israel in Old City Yeshivas (Usually HaKotel) get us access to some amazing locations for our breakfast. There, we catch up, share delicious food and Divrei Torah, and end things off with a few of the songs that didn’t make it into that morning’s Hallel. After that, anything can happen. Two highlights have been an impromptu slackline session, and a surprise visit to Gil Lock‘s Sukka.

What’s going to happen this year? If you’re in Israel, come join us and find out-

Sep 27, Thursday of Chol HaMoed, gathering at 8:15 am in the front of the Kotel Plaza towards the right. See you there!