The Message, Volume 17, Number 30, May 1990 Page: 3 of 6
[6] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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VISIT THE
SISTERHOOD GIFT SHOP
SeauUp
TALLISIM, FANCY KIPOT, STERLING SILVER
& ISRAELI KIDDUSH CUPS, BOOKENDS
FOR MOTHER’S DAY
SUNDAY, MAY 13th
My Most Valuable
Educational Experience
at Beth Yeshurun
By Daniel Ringold
The educational experience that stands out most in my mind
at Beth Yeshurun is definitely the TNT Services (Talis and
Tephilin) my family and I began attending when I was three
years old. I attended these services before I was even enrolled in
Religious School. My sister, Julie, is two years ahead of me in
Religious School. Since we live relatively far away from Beth
Yeshurun my mom would take my sister to Sunday School and
wait to take her home afterward so we didn’t have to drive home
and back. So, many Sunday morning I was dragged to Beth
Yeshurun at nine in the morning, usually against my will.
We would go onto the playground sometimes, or go to the
library sometimes, or just walk up and down the halls sometime.
One morning we accidently strolled into the Greenfield Chapel
and found ourselves, with a ticket in hand, in the middle of a
TNT Service. Of course, at three years of age, I had no idea
what was going on. But, all the same it made me feel good being
in a room with others who were singing and having a good time.
It wasn’t long before I found out what the ticket was for. At
the end of the singing Rabbi Segal called for Mr. DeVido to come
to the front of the room. A man with thick rimmed glasses ran
up to the pulpit vigorously shaking a brown paper grocery bag.
Then my wondering eyes spied a wonder on a table at the back of
the pulpit. Riches beyond my wildest dreams. Puzzles, toy cars,
Strawberry Shortcake key chains, magic eraser boards, and
CHOCOLATE! A full pound of chocolate! Rabbi Segal still
maintains the chocolate almond bars are best frozen.
The first prize given out was to be a paddle ball. The Rabbi
unwrapped the toy and braced himself for what seemed a very
hard task. Then the “regular” ladies at the back door screamed
“Come on Rabbi, a new record!” Rabbi Segal then proceeded to
play paddle ball for the next forty-five seconds. Man, was it fun-
ny! Well, I didn’t win the paddle ball, but there were a lot more
chances to win. One after another the prizes were given away,
but my number still hadn’t been called. What was I going to do,
all the people around me were smiling happily with two or three
prizes in their hands. It ended up that I didn’t win a prizes at
that first TNT Service. But from then on I was eager to go with
my parents whenever they said “Let’s go to TNT.”
Two years passed and I was finally enrolled in Sunday School.
The long awaited event turned into disaster. Julie was now in
Hebrew School which met in the late morning while my Sunday
School class met during TNT Services. Julie got to go to TNT
every Sunday...but, the only time I got to go was for a special
program like Consecration and Tu B’Shavat. Time passed and
soon I too was in Hebrew School and back at TNT every Sunday.
But now something was different. I could sing the Shema-
Vehavta. I actually participated in the service. Rabbi Segal’s
weekly “lesson” began to mean something to me. I learned
about the 613 mitzvot or a fine point in the weekly Torah por-
tion. Of course, the prizes were still the best part of TNT, but I
realized that maybe there was more than just the prizes.
Hebrew School, TNT, and breakfast after TNT continued. By
grade Gimel I could sing all the TNT prayers. And boy did I sing
them! Even though we always sat on the next to the last row, I
could be heard quite clearly by everyone much to the embarrass-
ment of my sister. One week before the service, Cantor Wagner
came up to me and asked me if I’d like to lead a prayer. I couldn’t
believe it! What an honor! I could be just like the older “Bar
Mitzvah Kids” that got to lead most of the service. I led
N’Kadesh and from then on it became “my song”, For infinite
weeks I performed N’Kadesh in front of all my screaming fans.
Well, maybe they weren’t my fans, just the screaming kids in the
service. Then, once again, the prizes came. I was having so
much fun singing the prayers I didn’t realize it was already time
for the prizes. The service had become as much fun as winning a
prize.
Time flew and my Bar-Mitzvah year arrived. The week
before my Bar-Mitzvah I was honored at TNT. My Bar-Mitzvah
partner, Scott Smith, and I led the whole service. I felt so com-
fortable with the prayers and the service. It was something I
had been doing for years now. As I looked out into the Con-
gregation it occured to be that I really was coming to TNT
because I like the service and I like the people. The prizes really
weren’t all that great. I began to realize how people gave of
themselves regularly to make TNT services special for me. Miss
Hanovich was always stationed right outside the door to the
Chapel to offer me a prayer book and an easy smile. The “ladies
in the back” had my tickets ready for me every week. Cantor
Wagner always made sure I got to sing the part I wanted. Rabbi
Segal always made sure I left with a smile on my face as he led us
in the “Hallalujah”. He called it our weekly exercise as we
jumped from our seat when we sang Hallalu or Hallalujah,
depending on which side of the Chapel we sat. And Rabbi Segal
had the best knack for picking the absolute worst singers as he
walked up and down the aisles with his microphone as we sang
Adon Olom, and Cantor Wagner rolled his eyes in disbelief.
I recently attended a TNT service after having not gone for
two years. I didn’t go to TNT services because I wanted to on
this particular Sunday morning, but so I could complete my re-
quirements for Operation Yiddishkeit. As we walked in, I notic-
ed Miss Hanovich was still in her same spot by the door wearing
the smile I left two years earlier. The “ladies in the back” were
still handing out tickets for saying your prayers. Cantor Wagner
was still walking up and down the aisle assigning parts for the
service. And Mr. DeVido still had his brown paper bag. It seem-
ed like nothing had changed, but it had. Now I wasn’t interested
in the prizes, I didn’t don my Talis and Tephilin for the sole pur-
pose of four extra tickets. I put them on because I had learned to
do so several years before at this same service. It was the
natural thing to do.
Much to my satisfaction the service hadn’t changed. I still
knew my prayers, we still celebrated an upcoming Bar-Mitzvah,
and Rabbi Segal still picks the musically untalented to sing Adon
Olom. By the way, I won a paddle ball and a magic slate that
day.
In the car on the way home from TNT I thought of just why
TNT had been so much fun for so many years. Only a few short
weeks ago did I realize my TNT tradition had really been an
educational experience. TNT taught me the Shema, how to put
on Talis and Tephlin, respect for others, giving of yourself, and
some of Rabbi Segal’s worst jokes of the century. Ten years of
Sunday mornings were well spent.
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Congregation Beth Yeshurun (Houston, Tex.). The Message, Volume 17, Number 30, May 1990, periodical, May 4, 1990; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1298674/m1/3/: accessed July 8, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.