Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.: Chapter 9 Summary & Analysis

Mom insists that everyone wears new clothes on Jewish holidays, so Margaret wears a new suit and a velvet hat. She also has to wear white gloves, but since it’s unseasonably warm in October, Margaret’s hands sweat. She takes off the gloves before she gets to New York, and Grandma picks her up at the bus station. They head for the temple.

An usher shows Grandma and Margaret to their seats in the fifth row. When the rabbi steps up, beautiful organ music plays. The rabbi looks like a priest, except he wears a yarmulke instead of the “backwards collar.” The rabbi says lots of things that Margaret doesn’t understand, and then the congregation reads from a prayer book. Margaret likes it best when the organ plays and the choir sings. She’s surprised that Grandma can speak Hebrew, like the rabbi.

Being in the fifth row, Margaret can’t see much. The rabbi gives a sermon and Margaret tries to understand what he’s saying. But she eventually gives up and counts hats. Then, everyone sings a song in Hebrew; this concludes the service. Margaret expected something different, but she wonders if she needs to go multiple times to feel something. After the service, Grandma insists on introducing Margaret to the rabbi. Rabbi Kellerman looks a bit like Mr. Benedict and he pumps Margaret’s hand up and down. He invites her to come back any time.

When Margaret gets home, Mom and Dad question her about her experience. Dad asks if she learned anything, and Margaret says that she learned that there were eight brown hats in the first five rows. Dad laughs and says that when he was a kid, he counted feathers in hats. Later, Margaret tells God that she’s on her way now—she’ll know all about religion by the end of the school year, and she’ll be able to start junior high knowing who she is. She’ll then be able to join the Y or the Center.