High Holidays: It s Not Really About Doom and Gloom

Transcription

1 Issue 8, Fall 2017 HaKol The Voice High Holidays: It s Not Really About Doom and Gloom Let s take a moment to think about the meaning of High Holidays. As a young person, High Holidays signified a day I missed school, sat through a really long prayer service, and of course, starved I mean fasted. Sounds really uplifting, huh? Okay, your turn: what runs through your mind when thinking about High Holidays? Is it joyful and inspirational? Is it a time of repentance and gloom? Or perhaps, it is somewhere in between? Now that we ve acknowledged the proverbial elephant(s) surrounding the holiest time within the Jewish year, let s take a deeper look at the meanings of High Holidays. High Holidays encompasses four notable holidays: Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), Sukkot (Harvest Festival), and Simchat Torah (Celebrating when we end and begin the Torah). All four holidays are uniquely important and can be observed individually; but when combined as a whole unit, this holiday cycle represents distinct steps toward spiritual and human redemption, and a celebration of life. Rabbi Shalom spoke about the importance of combining these four events to gain a complete experience: High Holidays is a time of inner reflection about who you want to be in the future; from whom you need to gain forgiveness; whom you need to forgive for past transgressions; and ultimately, the process of forgiving yourself and gaining a clean slate. To paraphrase, the Rabbi taught me that High Holidays are in essence transitional festivities to which your past, present, and future selves are all invited, and by attending, you will find spiritual and personal renewal not feelings of dread and duty. A little note for those who are unaware, Sukkot and Simchat Torah (the finale of High Holidays) are considered by many to be THE events of the year; there is eating, drinking, talking, dancing in the street, and absolute merriment to celebrate the journey taken throughout High Holidays as well as the new beginnings found at the close. At the end of our conversation, I asked Rabbi Shalom if he could offer me (and perhaps some of you who share my less-than-flattering views and experiences of the High Holidays) advice on how to engage and appreciate this important time within daily life. He provided a pragmatic three part answer that I have shortened for the purposes of this article, but I urge everyone to call/ /text Rabbi Shalom to hear the more in-depth version. Part I- Educate yourself about the High Holidays before they begin. The Rabbi recommends starting with a book written by Alan Lew entitled This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared or attending Adult Education classes at CBS on Sundays starting on 9/10/17 from 10-11:00 AM. Part II- Set realistic goals for yourself about Jewish life and about life itself; drastic change is not necessary to find inner peace, so identify JUST one or two aspects of your life that could be improved and nurture it for twelve months. Part III Be thoughtful about which High Holiday events to attend. Some people find spiritual cleansing at Yom Kippur services, while others gain peace during a Sukkot BBQ. Approach the list of High Holiday events like a menu and choose the occasions that sound both appetizing and fulfilling. As T.S. Elliot wrote (and Rabbi Shalom reminded me) What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from. So, let s join together as a community, and start looking backward and forward; let s celebrate who we were last year and who we will be in the future; let s forgive each other and ourselves; let s learn about how to invite religion and spirituality into our lives; and in doing so, we will power through the fasting, the discomfort, and the cleansing to find ourselves dancing in the street with a whole new year ahead of us. Danielle Benavides

2 Issue 8, Fall 2017 Shoshana Bochner Joel Youngheim CBS Rabbi Shalom Newsletter... Danielle Benavides Chesed... Myrna Wachs Board President...Douglas Highiet Board Vice President... Joyce Gandelman Concert Series... Tina Driskill Ritual...Joel Youngheim Congregation Beth Shalom 1705 Sherwood Ave, Modesto CA Main Office Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am-1pm

3 Fall Calendar Education Programs: Shabbat Services: Fridays 7-8pm, Saturdays 10am-12pm, followed by Kiddush Lunch Sept Beit Sefer (Hebrew School) USY Leadership Training Institute Sept. 10 Summer Social Sept. 12 The Hebrew Bible as the Hebrews Understand It Sept. 16 Havdalah, Honey Tasting, and Selichot Sept. 17 Family Fest: Rosh HaShana Sept. 17 Sunday Afternoons at CBS: Barrio Manouche, 3pm Sept Rosh HaShana Sept Shabbat Shuvah Sept Yom Kippur Oct. 6 Hebrew Fest Sukkot BBQ Oct. 7 Sukkot Movie Night and Sleepover Oct. 8 Family Fest: Sukkot Oct. 11 Hoshana Raba / Shemini Atzeret Yizkor Oct. 13 Simchat Torah Celebration Oct. 22 Kadima Day at Six Flags Oct. 28 Minchah, 3rd Meal, Havdalah, Blessing the Moon Nov. 10 Nov. 11 Tot Shabbat Honoring Abraham Ibrahim with the Islamic Center of Modesto Nov. 12 Sunday Afternoons at CBS: Leah Shoshanah, 3pm Nov. 17 Shabbat Dinner: Honoring Our Teachers Nov. 17 Fall USY Kinnus, Santa Rosa Nov. 18 Family Service Save the Dates: Chanukah December Tu B Shvat (New Year of the Trees) January th Birthday of CBS Saturday, February th Birthday Gala Saturday night, February th Birthday Brunch Sunday, February 25 Purim Wednesday night, February 28

4 Issue 8, Fall 2017 Rabbi Shalom Bochner Chazzan Ariel Wolpe

5 Rachel Sapper Issue 8, Fall 2017

6 Issue 8, Fall 2017 Danielle Benavides Congregation Beth Shalom 1705 Sherwood Ave. Modesto, CA