Elul 26-27 5781

 Elul 26-27, 5781/September 3-4, 2021

Every Friday we send a double portion of Elul Thoughts so that those who choose not to be on the internet over Shabbat can read Saturday’s offering in advance. Shabbat Shalom!

Rabbi Ben David 

I took up surfing last summer. It was a way to get away, commune a bit with nature, and reflect amid the summer months of the pandemic. I learned quickly that surfing is all about transitions: onto the board, onto your feet, riding a wave to the shore. It's about moving from one place to another. Resting to working. Prone to standing. Balance to imbalance. And then all over again. But it's also about moving to a place of humility and abounding patience. It’s a good metaphor for us, and a good metaphor during this holy day season, as we feel myriad transitions play out all around us. We enter a new year. We prepare for the start of school, the start of autumn, maybe a new chapter in life. Some of these transitions come easily, some less so. Especially this year, wearied by these past months of hardship and angst, our transitions are loaded. Are we ready to take off our mask? Is it safe to go out? Will praying in person feel scary or rejuvenating? Is it ok to be anxious, still? Like surfing, we must take our time with these transitions, be kind to ourselves, and exercise as much patience as possible.

Rabbi Andrew L. Rosenkranz

Isn’t it interesting that transitions almost inevitably cause anxiety and concern, while at the same time our Jewish tradition reminds us that transitions are almost always to be moments of joy and celebration?

 

The Hebrew calendar is marked with fixed times that commemorate changes that we are experiencing, whether it’s a change in the season or a change in our personal lives.  Rather than fear such transitions, our tradition teaches us to embrace such times and recognize the goodness that can come out of them.

 

Sukkot’s set time coincides with the annual agricultural harvest when we are commanded to rejoice before God.  The laws of mourning are suspended or cut short by certain holidays and festivals, because the mitzvah of rejoicing supersedes the change we are experiencing over the loss of a loved one.

 

The message is clear.  While something new may suddenly be introduced in our lives, God’s overall intent for humankind is to celebrate the gift of life.  Sometimes we know ahead of time that change is coming, while other times it hits us from out of nowhere.  

 

As we continue to experience the changes in our own lives, may we always be reminded that ultimately God wants us to celebrate with one another and exult in simply being alive in order to experience all that God has given us on this earth!