There is a visceral reaction in seeing a sea of people against a sea of water. Like many of you, we engaged in the ritual of tashlich this week. The “casting out” of our mistakes into a body of water. Some used traditional bread, others cleaned the beach in a “reverse tashlich,” and we prayed as a community that it should be the start of a sweet new year. A year of introspection, intentional steps, and choosing life.
A Bisl Torah
No Shofar on Shabbat Part 2
Rabbi Arthur Waskow offers some reasons why the shofar is not blown on Shabbat. The most obvious is the halakhic conundrum of carrying. We are not supposed to carry the shofar from home to the synagogue, which would violate the Jewish law of carrying from private to public domains.
Shipwrecked
I am rereading my favorite High Holy Day books. Fortuitously, I came across a beautiful passage in Judah Goldin’s Introduction to Agnon’s High Holy Day anthology: Days of Awe. Here I share a treasure with all of you:
I Shall Not Lack
It is a tradition in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur to visit the graves of our loved ones. Some also choose to visit during these days leading up to Rosh Hashana, knowing that major holidays often amplify loss and intensify an already present grief.
Hearing the Call
Many of us look forward to Rosh Hashana to hear the blasts of the shofar. The shofar’s blasts, a set of notes that often connote brokenness, awaken us to crying. Our internal cries and the cries of those within our community and around the world. Rabbi Shimon Apisdorf writes, “The call of the shofar is the sound that wakes us up so that we will make a choice for clarity, for awareness, for a fully constructive and purposeful life.”
Getting Up
This week, I had the honor of joining a beloved congregant as she finished her week of shiva. We have a Jewish custom of “getting up.” Physically rising from one’s seat and intentionally taking a walk around the block to signify a return to life, a return to one’s routine and what is familiar.
From Tel Aviv
Our phenomenal tour guide, Yonit Schiller, explained that the crane is considered the official bird of Tel Aviv. It’s a joke. The truth is that there are construction cranes wherever you look.
From Jerusalem
As part of our Sinai Temple Family Mission, we visited the Kotel, considered the holiest site for the Jewish people. My children wrote notes to be placed in the wall, prayers to be offered to our Creator.
The Last Tooth
Our daughter excitedly ran out of her room, reporting, “I lost my last tooth!” It took a few moments to fully understand what she said. Our youngest son is losing teeth left and right, his mouth basically hollow. When our eldest made her own announcement, we laughed in disbelief. Her last baby tooth? It just couldn’t be.
The Power of Memory
As our older kids returned from Camp Ramah, they regaled us with tales about new friends, hobbies and experiences during their four weeks away. They were thrilled when we decided to visit Camp Ramah just a week after their return. We explained to the kids that camp might look or feel different. They shook their tween heads and proceeded to discuss everything they would find back in Ojai.
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