Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Bells in Auerbach







There is something extraordinarily compelling about bells. They pour forth speech in this inorganic way. Just sound waves. Like a mountain lake scene. Clean, clear, serene, in this world, yet otherworldly.

They could communicate any number of profound things. You have figure it out for yourself. They call to something. But what? You have to stop and think. It could be a wedding or a funeral or a service or prayer or the beginning of the Sabbath, or even a meal. On Sunday mornings the bells still ring while the congregations prays the Lord's prayer. These are Feierabend (evening before the holy day) bells. They rang on Saturday evening at 7:00 pm for 10 minutes straight. It's like: finish up your street sweeping. (My grandparents always made sure the sidewalk was swept and done, last thing on Saturday.) (See the neighbor sweeping for illustration. You wondered why Germany is so clean.)

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