Elul 6/August 28

The 1st of Tishrei we will welcome the new Jewish Year.  The Hebrew word Rosh means "Head" in English.  The Hebrew word "Shana" means "Year" in English.  However, you may know that Hebrew is made up of three letter roots.  And the root of the word "Shana" literally means "change."

This spiritual period of time gives us an opportunity to fix that which is broken and find new ways of doing things.  When we "change" our "heads," our thinking, our approaches to issues, relationships and challenges in our lives then the new year becomes sweet.  This time of year gives us the chance to look at things anew, recalculate and reexamine so as to make good choices that bring us happiness and satisfaction.  Rosh Hashanah is the season of changing the way we think about lives.

May this New Year bring us goodness, blessing and health as we all "Change our Heads."

(Rabbi Richard Steinberg)

Elul 5/August 27

It is often claimed that for every two Jews there are three opinions. Some doubt this assertion, arguing that for three opinions you only need one Jew!

When it comes to Jewish identity, there are an infinite number of viewpoints. Some emphasize peoplehood in their connection to Judaism. For others, it is a cultural, ethnic or spiritual matter. To many, it’s a link with the State of Israel. For most, it is some combination of all of the above.  Today there are Jews who describe themselves as Secular, Reform, Reconstructionist, Conservative or Orthodox. Some regard themselves as “bagels and lox” Jews. But it seems to me that what really counts is just one question: Is being Jewish important to you? Or to put it another way, are you a serious Jew?

(Rabbi Gersh Zylberman)

Elul 3 and 4/August 25 and 26

In respect for Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest, we will not be sending you an Elul thought tomorrow so that you can be at rest from your email and other social media. So please enjoy both of these thoughts today!

Shabbat Shalom!

Elul 3/August 25

Asking to see more clearly

Life without Teshuva is like being condemned to dwell in Plato’s allegorical Cave... It is to perceive the world under a mechanism that makes me believe that the shadows and echoes projected on the wall of my ego they are the reality.  

The month of Elul reminds me that sometimes all I can see is that wall; reflections but not real objects. I ask for the courage to recognize that there might be areas of my life in which I sit in the shadow. Teshuva is the tool I use to light these dark areas, to see life more clearly and to go beyond the limits of my very small cave. Sometimes there is light, everything looks so clear and it feels wonderful! And I would like to think that the cave is behind me and I have left forever. But then I see a shadow and I try to ignore it, and another, Ignore it! and another one... I realize this isn’t a one-time action, and I live in-between.  But I love those moments outside, I feel closer to a better version of myself and there resides the strength to leave the cave countless times and to return again and again to the land of my soul.

(Rabbi Nico Socolovsky)

Elul 4/August 26

The expression “shouting into the wind” connotes the act of trying to communicate, fruitlessly. When someone shouts into the wind, the idea is that no one can hear you and you are wasting time and energy to no avail. It is similar to "talking to a brick wall."  Why bother doing it?

We do it - or should do it - because if enough people do it enough, the situation changes.  Perhaps the wind that threatens to drown us out dies down.  Perhaps enough people join us and our message is amplified over the noise.  

Our trouble is that we believe that we are powerless against the wind, or that we can only be successful when the time is right.  The truth is that we have far more power than we give ourselves credit.  Imagine how much we could change if we actually spoke up, said “yes”, or acknowledged that “this is my responsibility.”

Elul is our time to reflect on what is most important to us and to start shouting.  Don’t be afraid - there will always be wind; but anything worth shouting about is worth shouting into the wind.

(Rabbi Alan Litwak)

Elul 2/August 24

For my birthday today, my husband Matt and I are giving me a very strange gift, we are taking our daughter Dahvi to college! (We’re in Washington, DC as this is posted.) Where did the past 18 years go? I guess you can say this is the gift of new beginnings. It is a new beginning for Dahvi as she moves on to the next chapter of her life. New city, new roommates, new school, new expectations and new goals. This is also a new beginning for the rest of the family. New schedules for three instead of four, new shopping lists for three instead of four, and new realizations knowing that we can’t always know where she is and what she’s doing. This new beginning is most importantly about trust. Matt and I have to trust that Dahvi will use the lessons we’ve taught her over the last 18 years to make good choices for herself. Most important of all, Dahvi has to trust in herself that she can and will succeed. The road may not always be easily navigated and we’ve never taught our children that life is easy. Rather, through hard work, determination and patience, you can accomplish anything.

Every year we receive the gift of new beginnings. We have to trust that we’ve learned many lessons over the past year and that we’ve grown in ways that will lead us to new adventures and blessings. Embrace your new beginnings. It’s ok to be a little scared or worried, but have faith in the road ahead.

(Rabbi Heidi Cohen)

Elul Thoughts 5777-Elul 1/August 24

The Hebrew month of Elul is the last month of the Jewish year. As such, it is considered a month of spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days. Special meditations are added to the daily service for some, known as S’lichot, or penitentiary prayers. (*The Saturday before Rosh Hashanah is also known as S’lichot, and it is used as a night of contemplation and study.) For several years, a group of Reform rabbis and educators has collaborated on a series of Elul Thoughts, shared with our congregations in a daily email, and accompanied by a daily Tweet. This year we are highlighting colleagues from the Orange County Reform Community. We are happy to share them with you.

This year’s Elul Thoughts include contributions from:

• April Akiva R.J.E, Director of Religious School Education, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Fountain Valley, CA
• Rabbi Heidi Cohen, Temple Beth Sholom, Santa Ana, CA
• Rabbi Sarah DePaolo, Shir HaMa’alot, Irvine, CA
• Rabbi Stephen J. Einstein, Founding Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Fountain Valley, CA
• Rabbi Rachel Kort, Temple Beth El of South Orange County, Aliso Viejo, CA
• Rabbi Brad Levenberg, Temple Sinai, Atlanta, GA
• Rabbi Eric Linder, Congregation Children of Israel, Athens, GA
• Rabbi Alan E. Litwak, Temple Sinai, North Miami Beach, FL
• Cantor David Reinwald, Temple Beth Sholom, Santa Ana, CA
• Cantorial Soloist Jenna Sagan, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Fountain Valley, CA
• Rabbi Nico Socolovsky, Temple Beth Tikvah, Fullerton, CA
• Rabbi Richard Steinberg, Shir Hama’alot, Irvine, CA
• Rabbi Daniel Treiser, Temple B’nai Israel, Clearwater, FL
• Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker, Congregation Beth Israel, Colleyville, TX
• Rabbi Kvod Wieder, Temple Beth El of South Orange County, Aliso Viejo, CA
• Rabbi David N. Young, Congregation B’nai Tzedek, Fountain Valley, CA
• Rabbi Gersh Zylberman, Temple Bat Yahm, Newport Beach, CA

 You can follow any of us on Facebook or Twitter.

If you have missed any of these daily emails or want to go back and remember something from earlier in Elul, feel free to read them all at http://tinyurl.com/elul77.

Elul 1/August 23
We have come once again to that sacred time on the Jewish calendar where it is appropriate to take stock of the many blessings in our lives and to offer our thanksgiving to God.

When reflecting upon the blessing for this particular day I realized how apparent it is that we as a congregation have much for which we should be thankful. We are thankful for our successes.

We are thankful for our leadership, for professionals and for our lay leaders, for those who gave up a lunch or a dinner or missed a game or a gathering with family or friends to help make the Jewish world thrive.

We count our blessings that we had much joy since last year- some of us got married, some had children, some had children who became Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Some of us assembled here became grandparents for the first, second, third, or more time. Some of us found new employment and some of us retired.

We count our blessings that the tragic events that touched our lives were made a bit more manageable because of the presence of community. We are thankful, O God, what when we needed them most, we were blessed to never walk darkened paths in solitude.

Indeed, on this first day of Elul, we acknowledge just a few of the many ways in which God has blessed us since this time last year. May we be blessed with abundance in the next as well.

(Rabbi Brad Levenberg)

Happy Passover!

Passover is a time to gather with some of our favorite people, retell stories that have been passed down from generation to generation, and enjoy good food and wine together. It is also a time to remember the slavery of our ancestor in Egypt, and to remind ourselves that there is always something that keeps us enslaved. We remove Chametz to prevent our own "puffed-up-ness," and we try to shrink our egos so we can work on that which keeps us captive in the narrow recesses of our personality. We are commanded to see ourselves as personally freed from Egypt, which can double as a commandment to personally free ourselves from whatever is holding us back from being the best we can be.

From my family to yours, may this Passover bring you warmth and sweetness, freedom and redemption. May we find ourselves a free people, working to free others and fight for the freedoms of those still enslaved in modern times.

Chag Pesach Sameach!  

Inauguration Day

My Fellow Americans,

Today is January 20, 2017, and for many of us it is a difficult day, while for many of us it is a wonderful day. 

Those of you who know me well know that I am a liberal. I am way to the left of just about every issue except Israel, about which I am just left of center. I also represent a 501c(3) organization, and as such I have stayed away from public political commentary. I am not perfect and probably slipped from time to time, but I avoided posting my presidential opinions on Facebook and other social media. Often these two values are in conflict—my liberal desires to shout from the rooftops when someone does something I find politically offensive verses my professional desires to keep my job and keep my congregation intact—but today they are working together, and I would like to express some of my views on some of what I have seen and heard regarding our new president.

1. It is my personal goal to behave the way I would have expected Trump supporters to behave had Clinton won the election. I would have stood on my soap box and demanded that they respect the will of the people. As such, I will respect the will of the people. Say what you will about the electoral college and how the system failed. My personal view is that a system that gives a different result from the popular vote four times in our nation’s history is not too shabby, but until you work to change it, it just sounds like complaining or making excuses. I fully support that a Constitutional Committee should be assembled to review and redraft the US Constitution to match the 21st Century. One of the greatest things about our founding fathers is that they knew they were not perfect, and wrote into the Constitution methods of adapting our nation’s most sacred document so we, the people could maintain our democracy.
2. Whether you voted for him or not, whether you boycotted the inauguration or not, whether you are angry of thrilled, if you are a US citizen, Donald J. Trump is your president. I am offended by my #notmypresident friends. If you deny his presidency, you deny your own ability to reach out and work with him, or even your own ability to keep him in check. Even if you didn’t vote for him, the POTUS works for the citizens of the United States. All of them. He is your president. Now make him work for you.
3. Unless you are a White House Staffer, a politician, a political pundit, or Alec Baldwin, whoever sits in the Oval Office should not affect your daily life. I know that tomorrow morning I will wake up, lead Torah study, take my children to birthday parties and playdates, and make dinner for my family. Neither President Obama nor President Trump nor any other leader could change that.
4. Supporters of President Obama, please pay attention to him. In early November, 2008, his political rivals made promises to do whatever they could to take him down. He spent the last 8 years dealing with similar attitudes from congress, the press, and other non-supporters. He faced it all with class, grace, and style. Instead of getting angry like so many people did when policies were enacted that they did not like, try behaving like President Obama. Reach out to talk about disagreements with logic and candor. Listen and pay attention to who is speaking, and to paraphrase what he said, “Don’t boo, act!” Go ahead an march in Washington or in whatever major city is close to you. Express yourself and let our leaders see you in action. But don’t stop there. Write to congress, call your representatives’ offices, and become political activists. Protests call attention to issues, but political action makes changes happen.
5. If the progress we have made over the past 250 years is put at risk, I will be there speaking to my leaders to help keep us moving forward. I didn’t need to “Make America Great Again” because I believe it is already great. I believe it has potential to be better, and I acknowledge that what is better for me night not be better in everyone’s mind, and that is why we choose to live in this great nation, whose system of democracy allows its citizens to determine its course. If you don’t like the way congress is behaving (a much bigger issue than whoever our president is), you can vote to fire them. They work for us—make them earn it. Make sure they know in advance if you want to maintain the legal rights of our LGBTQ sisters and brothers; if you believe a woman should have control over her own body; if you want to separate science and belief; if you believe the constitution needs a once-over; if you want a livable wage for all those who work hard and no more increases for those who vote their own salaries; if you want affordable healthcare for everyone who needs it and health care options for those who can afford it; if you want anything to change or anything to stay the same, it is up to you to let your representatives know. Let them know early and often. Email, call, write, and help others keep those who work for us informed about how we want them to do their job.
6. Check out http://www.valuesandvoices.com/the-letters/. They are doing it right.

Finally, I want to extend a word of congratulations to President Trump. It is not easy becoming or being POTUS, and I hope you learn as much from your predecessor as I have.