My Lag b'Omer (what's Lag b'Omer? glad you asked: read Plagues? Rebellions? May Day? Lag b'Omer) began with a barbecue at the synagogue which also offered an opportunity to mark the almost-end of our Hebrew school year. Drew ran around happily and ate bits of hot dog (though was most excited about the blueberries and the potato chips), and the skies graciously consented not to rain.

Then I went to Boston, where I first had the profound pleasure of serving on a beit din and welcoming a new Jew into this new chapter of his life. It was a beautiful ceremony, and I came away deeply moved. (Also, it was my first chance to sign a rabbinic document with my new title; I have to admit, that felt pretty good!) And then I went with my dear friend Reb Jeff to Fenway Park, where we stood in the will call line at Gate B.

Gate B ticket window.

Some of the people standing in line had reserved tickets in advance. Others were active duty military. And we were there because we're ordained clergy. The Red Sox have a special pass program for clergy; with such a pass in hand, one can show up 90 minutes before a game, and if there are standing-room tickets available, one can purchase them for $10. Red Sox lore holds that the program was established because Tom Yawkey was friendly with the local Catholic priests, and used to give them free game tickets; after a while, Protestant clergy groused that they deserved the same treatment, and the Red Sox clergy pass program was born.

Standing room only.

We got to Fenway early enough to snag two great standing room seats on the third-base side of the field. (What made them great was the wooden bar running behind the last row of stadium seating, so we had something to lean on as we watched.)

Red Sox v. Cubs. With zen gardeners.

It was a great game. We were there early enough to eat dinner (standing up) while the Cubs got in some batting practice; we watched the ground crew groom the field for play (the guys who smooth the sand always remind me of zen gardeners doing the meditative work of raking sand); and we watched Tim Wakefield pitch a gorgeous game, his first win of the season.

We left during the 8th inning -- regretfully -- because we had a three-hour drive to get home to the Berkshires. And yeah, I'll admit that today I'm dragging a little bit, even though Ethan got up with Drew this morning and let me sleep in. But it was totally worth it to be able to catch a Red Sox game with Jeff. What a perfect way to close out my Lag B'Omer.