My heart continues to break as I watch the destruction in Texas. And yet, it continues to be resewn again as I watch community members and strangers reach out to the stranded, homeless, injured and fallen.
So many stories of humanity’s capacity for goodness are rising to the surface. One mother was found face down in a canal in Beaumont, Texas. Her three-year-old daughter was clinging to her back. The daughter survived. The mother did not. The officer that found the mother and daughter noted that this mother unquestionably saved her child. Her child came first.
In your life, who comes first? As the auspicious days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur draw near, we must question how we prioritize the sacred minutes of our day and judge, in which ways do we use our time? When we are drawn in thousands of directions, whose names do we choose to carry on our back?
In writing about the High Holy Days, Rabbi DovBer Pinson reflects, “Rosh Hashana is, essentially this idea of judgment. On the deepest level, it is the ability to self-reflect and self-judge your life and actions—to ask yourself who you are and what is your purpose.”
May this Shabbat be one surrounded by the names of those that help define your purpose. If you feel alone and unsure of your answer, join us at Sinai Temple. We are proud to carry your name.
As well, may we hold those suffering from Hurricane Harvey in our heart and in our prayers.
