Elul 23, 5778

Rabbi David N. Young

My wife recently was diagnosed with breast cancer, and about six weeks ago (from the time of emailing this thought), she underwent a double mastectomy to treat it and to prevent further occurrences. Needless to say, the surgery was a big deal, and took some time to heal. Since she is a cantor in one community and I am a rabbi in another, we were inundated with requests to help. I am usually more private than my wife when it comes to personal matters, so my inclination was to roll up my sleeves and do all of the work by myself. Of course, I knew I needed to accept the help, lest I violate the rabbinic teaching, al tifrosh min hatzibur, “Do not separate yourself from the community” (Pirkei Avot 2:4).

People brought us food, came over and visited, took the dog on walks, sat with her while I went shopping or to the gym, sent games, books (both for reading and for coloring), sweets, and so much love that we were totally overwhelmed. At one point when someone asked what they could do to help, we asked them to come over and help us eat leftovers!

This is what it means to no separate from the community. It is to accept an outpouring of love and attention that we can feel all the way down to our soul. It is to be a part of something that is so much greater than a collection of families with similar interests. The Jewish community is a unit, referred to as kehillah kedoshah, a holy community. When we allow ourselves to be blessed as a part of this community, we certainly feel its holiness.

Elul 22, 5778

Rabbi Eric Linder

The month of Elul is similar to the period of time between Passover and Shavuot. Those 49 days are known as the “Counting of the Omer.” Our Torah tells us to count the weeks starting from Passover. On the 7th week, we celebrate Shavuot (which literally means “weeks.”

During the Counting of the Omer, our tradition teaches that each of us is supposed to reflect on seven different characteristics that we share with God. We strengthen these characteristics, and in so doing, merit the giving of Torah for ourselves.

Similarly during this month of Elul, we prepare ourselves so that we can fully absorb and appreciate the message(s) of the High Holidays. Judaism sets aside these special time periods so that we can work on ourselves, our relationships, our theology, and our holiness.

Elul 20 and 21, 5778

On Fridays, we give you a double portion of our Elul Thoughts so that we can all take a rest from our electronics on Shabbat. Enjoy!

Rabbi David N. Young

A relatively well-known folktale from Poland tells of a poor man who goes to complain to the rabbi about how crowded his tiny house is with him, his wife, and their children. The rabbis tells him to bring in the chickens, then the goats, then the cow. As the house gets more and more crowded, the man cannot figure out what to do, so he goes to the rabbi one last time, who tells him to take all the animals out of the house. Finally the man is relieved at the relative peace and quiet, and all the newfound space, and he is thrilled to be in his (now spacious) home with his wife and children.

Whether it is guests, family, pets, or items, we all have a lot of junk in our lives. We have to find a lot of space for a lot of things, and we often feel crowded in our own homes. While I do not recommend bringing farm animals into the house, Elul is a great time of year to do some physical cleansing in addition to the spiritual cleansing we do this month.

As the weekend approaches, take some time to make space for your family in the physical sense. Put on some grubby clothes, crank up your favorite work music, gather the family together, and prepare your shared space for the new year. You’ll be glad you did it, and the relaxing you will be able to do in a clean home may be just what you need to put your mind in order, too.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker

#TimeWithFamily

A Chasidic Tale: As Rosh Hashanah was approaching, Satan gathered his assistants together to talk about the most effective method of destroying the meaning of people’s lives. You know, just your regular business meeting.

One said, “Tell them there is no God.” Another suggested, “Tell them there is no judgment for sin and they need not worry.” A third proposed, “Tell them their sins are so great they will never be forgiven.”

“No,” Satan replied, “none of these things will matter to them. I think we should simply tell them, ‘There is plenty of time.’”

When I first heard the end of the story, I was confused. What’s so bad about having a lot of time. But then I thought about it more and I got it. Just like in Harry Chapin’s great song, “Cats in the Cradle,” there always seems to be more time. “We’ll get together then” is the refrain, until we realize that time has passed us by. This is especially true regarding our family. On the one hand, our relationships with our family are the most important relationship we have, and yet we also take them for granted far too often.

During this month Elul, shine a light on Satan’s deception and don’t assume we have all the time in the world. It’s not enough to reflect. Make calls, make plans, prioritize time with family. Live a better life by spending time with the most important people in your life.

Elul 19, 5778

Rabbi Nico Sokolovsky

At The Gates of a “WONDER -FULL” year

The great leader of nineteenth-century German Orthodoxy, Samson Raphael Hirsch, surprised his disciples one day when he insisted on traveling to Switzerland. “When I stand before the Almighty,” he explained, “I will be asked many questions.… But what will I say when … and I’m sure to be asked: ‘Why didn’t you see my Alps?’” Jewish Wisdom, page 230

The world is out there and it is a positive commandment to discover it. Therefore you should be very careful of placing yourself in the Cage of – I have no regrets, I am done, I am set in my ways, Nothing can surprise me anymore. I have seen everything!

Abraham Joshua Heschel says:

As civilization advances, the sense of wonder declines. Such decline is an alarming symptom of our state of mind. Mankind will not perish for want of information; but only for want of appreciation. The beginning of our happiness lies in the understanding that life without wonder is not worth living. What we lack is not a will to believe but a will to wonder (Heschel, Abraham Joshua. God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism, p. 46).

Elul 18, 5778

Rabbi Eric Linder

Yom Kippur is a profoundly personal holiday. And yet, we recite a communal vidui (confession.) Our machzor calls it an “alphabet of woe,” as we go through various sins and mistakes that we’ve made, starting with the letter A and going through Z.

Not each of us have commented all of those offenses. God forbid! But there is power in knowing that as a community, as a society, and as a country, we have. Our recitation of vidui takes seriously the idea that although specific individuals may not be guilty of certain trespasses,  are all responsible.

Elul 17, 5778

Rabbi Alan E. Litwak

Taking A Selfie

Call me a dinosaur, but I do not understand the obsession with “selfies” - those quick photos taken on cellular phones that get sent to friends and family via text, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook.  They hardly qualify for art and they have a shelf-life of somewhere between one and two nanoseconds.

At the rate most people take selfies, it takes no time to accumulate a highlight reel of their life, that is put on display in a little glass box for all to see.  The problem is that highlight reel is not reality; it rarely captures the in-between time when real – and often hard – life happens. Similarly, the practice of cropping off half of one’s face seems to be a metaphor for denying one’s full identity.

Elul provides an opportunity to take a different kind of “selfie.”  Instead of a snapshot of self-gratification, it is long deep look of self-reflection.  Elul asks us to take our selfie-stick and zoom out to see what is around us. No need to post anywhere but in our soul’s view.

Elul 13 and 14, 5778

On Fridays, we give you a double portion of our Elul Thoughts so that we can all take a rest from our electronics on Shabbat. Enjoy!

Rabbi Bradley Levenberg

I do so love these slower days of summer. I love this time not only because with schools on break, driving seems much less hectic, but because it is one time when so many of us are united in simultaneously dreaming of next year and reflecting upon the year that has gone by.

This spirit of reflection finds grounding in the holiday celebrations of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I reflect upon the similarities between these holy days: both days in which we begin the observance by kindling light, both holidays that find the greatest expression when commemorated with family and friends. Both holidays present unique customs meant to highlight themes of togetherness, of belief and identity; both holy days struggle with over-simplification (“Happy New Year” and “I hope you have an easy fast!”) that threaten the central idea core to the commemoration.

As we celebrate somehow separately and yet still together, may this prayer, adapted from the writings of L. Annie Foerster, offer guidance and inspiration:

Light of Life,

We gather from many traditions and many ways of life to speak with one strong voice – to give thanks and to worship together. Let our prayer be heard, for aren’t we all one family with the same wants and needs? Help us to strive for a healthy planet; to work toward peaceful, loving relationships with all of humankind; to achieve our vision of seeing all people fed in body and nourished in soul, sheltered from the rain and free from unnecessary fears.

Let our prayers be heard, for aren’t we all one family with the same joys and sorrows? Hear our praise of love and beauty; harken to our songs of celebration. Let our efforts be forever intertwined, for aren’t we all one family, gathered together, grateful for the warmth and recognition we find in one another’s hearts and faces?

Let this be our prayer, and our thanks, and our love: Blessed be the joy in our gathering, whether physically together or bound by hopes and dreams for a brighter tomorrow. Blessed indeed be the joy in our gathering. Amen.

Rabbi Eric Linder

I’ve never liked the translation of *T’shuvah* as repentance.

Sure, repentance, making amends, and apologizing are important during our High Holiday season. They are essential. But the concept of *T’shuvah* goes far beyond the boundaries of making amends.

The root of the word means, *To turn.* There’s an idea that when we perform *T’shuvah,* we turn toward God. But we also turn toward the best parts of ourselves, which may as of yet be undiscovered.

I hope that all of us have the courage and strength to perform acts of *T’shuvah* in all of its forms.