Dear Temple Sinai Members and Friends,
It might seem at times that during this month of Elul, as well as during the High Holy Days and especially on Yom Kippur, we are always beating ourselves up. We are constantly talking about the need to reflect on our sins and misdeeds and their corrections by the act of Teshuvah, repentance. This is certainly the hallmark of what should prove to be a very inspiring service this coming Saturday night with Selichot.
Let us, however, keep in mind that Rosh Hashanah is also considered to be the celebration of life as it is, by Tradition, considered to be the Birthday of the World. According to Tradition, the new year 5786 is calculated from either the first day of creation mentioned in Genesis or the 6th day, the creation of Adam. This calculation is achieved by taking every year as described in the Bible to be a year of 365 days and counting backwards from today. As this is, therefore, a Birthday of the World celebration, I would suggest that Rosh Hashanah is also a Birthday of Life celebration. Thereby it is a time for thanksgiving and an expression of gratitude to the Creator for the blessings we receive at every moment of life, as well as life itself.
This idea of gratitude is expressed most beautifully in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo. It opens with a description of an ancient ritual presenting before God the first fruits of the year as an expression of gratitude for these fruits and for life itself. Let’s look at its words:
26: 1 When you have come into the land that the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance to possess, and you possess it, and settle in it, 2 you shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket and go to the place that the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name. 3 You shall go to the priest who is in office at that time and say to him: Today I declare to the Lord your God that I have come into the land that the Lord swore to our ancestors to give us. 4 When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the Lord your God, 5 you shall make this response before the Lord your God… 10 So now I bring the first of the fruit of the ground that you, O Lord, have given me.
We are commanded in the Talmud to offer a minimum of 100 Berachot, blessings, a day. Think for a moment, how many do you offer? These blessings do not always need to be a formal one with the words “Baruch atah Adonai”. They can also be simply the expression of gratitude, “Thank You God…” This coming Shabbat I will have the service and my sermon focusing on gratitude as the foundation for our spiritual lives. This certainly is a part of our tradition’s teachings, and I will share a special spiritual experience I had when I visited Uman, Ukraine, in 2018 and visited the grave of the great Hasidic Rebbe, Nachman of Breslov. I hope to see you there.
As a reminder, I will be teaching a special three-part course on the “Jewish Experiences of God throughout our History”. The classes will be on October 9 (God in the bible and rabbinic literature),16 (God during the Middle Ages including the kabbalah), 23 (who is God to each of us in our lives) at 3 pm. There will be a specific lesson in each class, but I also hope to be able to excite some personal reflections and discussion. Please RSVP by leaving a voicemail with your name and email at 561-276-6161 Ext. 204, the Adult Education extension, so I know who to expect.
I am so excited as we anticipate the approach of Rosh HaShanah 5786, the Birthday of the World, along with Cantor Shir, the choir, and Baal Tekiah Susan Buck. We have so much to look forward to together. May God’s blessings be upon Temple Sinai as we move forward into the new year.
Shabbat Shalom and a meaningful Elul. See you at Selichot.
Your Rabbi Steve
