Reb Zalman and the Abbey of Gethsemani

A Reb Zalman Story from the book Merton and Judaism:

I would be up at the canonical hours and I would say my tehillim in the back while they were in the choir at the center of the church.

Came Friday, I spoke with some of the monks in the kitchen and said, “Shabbos is coming. Could I have some rolls and some grape juice and candles?” They fixed me up. We had a Friday night tisch and it was a love.

The next week they said, “Would you do that again?” I said, “On one condition – if we play something. I will be Joseph of Arimathea, and you will be disciples of the Master who come from Galilee to Jerusalem, and we’ll have Shabbos together as it was in those days.”

It was wonderful: I lit the candles, made Kiddush, we sat around the table, sang songs that came from the Psalms. Shlomo [Carlebach, whose tunes they sang] was very helpful. We sang … “For the Sake of My Brothers and Friends” …

Then I said, “Well, what’s the news from Galilee? What stories can you tell me from the Master?” They got so excited about that, each one telling another story, a Gospel story.

(From “An Interview with Zalman Schachter-Shalomi”)
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