Shuled Out

Lots of people have busy seasons.  CPAs each April.  Students at finals.  Rabbis during the Holy Days, probably starting in the summer when they write their series of messages for a crowd that materializes far beyond anything else they will encounter for the next year to the days of having to show up on time and stay to the end.  As more Judaism's consumer than contributor, about once a week for shabbos is about my speed, and even there, dinner each week engages me but showing up for worship often does not.  Pesach at home challenges me, going to shul five of the eight days eventually reaches its limits.  And that three week stretch from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah has to give before the end.  It did.  Stayed home for Simchat Torah and Shabbos Shuvah this year.  Just too much shul, mostly as spectator.  Shul saturated, or shuled out.  And masked out.  Add a large measure of unhappiness to the baseline congregational experience that has accumulated and the limits come into focus.  Without the break, shuled out risks becoming Jewed out.