How many years have you walked into Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur services and wished you had gotten a reminder?
I don’t mean a reminder just to make sure you had your tickets and service times correct, to make sure you were well-stocked for family dinners and break-the-fast or to find your machzor (High Holidays prayer book).
I mean a reminder about what actually takes place in that sacred space. How many times have you felt spiritually unprepared when approaching the High Holy Days?
There’s good news and bad news if that describes you (even a little). The bad news is that the High Holy Days are “early” this year, with Rosh HaShanah arriving less than a week after Labor Day.
The good news is that there’s still time to prepare.
If you can, put yourself mentally back into the space where you spent last Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, and see if you can remember the contents of your aspirations, prayers and dreams.
How did you resolve to be better in 5775? Did you promise to learn something new?
Did you pray for a greater connection to the Jewish community? Did you think about finding an ongoing volunteer project, attending services more often, joining a synagogue or changing something about yourself? Have you done it?
Rosh HaShanah is just over a month away. There is still time to make 5775 the year we thought it could be before we face the beginning of 5776.
Before school is back in session, the pace of the year picks up again as summer ends and we’re making the same resolutions and prayers again, it’s time to reconnect, reconsider and remember those prayers from last Tishrei.
August may seem like the calm before the storm of the fall holidays begin in September, but from my synagogue office, I can report that this “calm” is a myth.
As usual, the Torah can guide us as we consider our approach to August and the remaining weeks before Rosh HaShanah.
There are five Sabbaths this month. The Torah portions for all of them are in the book of Deuteronomy.
These aren’t just any words of Torah, buried in August when so many are away on vacations, involved in different activities and staying away from synagogue and Jewish life until the onslaught of the fall. Rather, these are some of the highlights of the Torah.
This month, we read the words of the Shema, the Ten Commandments, the reminders about many of our commandments and holidays, the charge to start by attempting to make peace above all. We end with a reminder of how our enemies have treated us — with the conclusion “do not forget!”
August is anything but quiet in the Jewish world. Synagogues are busy getting ready for those holidays, but we also have our usual Shabbat services — as well as some special ones that take advantage of the summer weather.
School isn’t in session, but we have a variety of events for families to keep in touch and rekindle friendships (and start new ones) before the school year resumes.
And need in our community doesn’t go away over the summer, so there are plenty of volunteer projects available, no matter your timeframe, skills and interests.
If you’re looking to learn something new about Judaism, start looking around. We’re all putting together and publishing our class schedules, and if you talk to any rabbis, educators or Jewish organizations about what you might be interested in learning, we can probably still get it on our calendars.
Rosh HaShanah is only a little more than a month away. Have you done all you could to make 5775 a year you could be proud of? Are you ready to face the beginning of 5776?
Rabbi Jessica Barolsky is director of Lifelong Learning at Congregation Emanu-El B’ne Jeshurun.
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