Elul Messages for 5773

Day by Day towards the New Year
Reflections from Sinai Temple

9 Elul 5773
August 15, 2013

Dear Sinai - As we continue the journey into Elul and the end of summer, I found this commentary by Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, Executive Director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. She offers a beautiful image for this time of year. Imagine "walking in the field" and encountering something/someone ultimate....

There is no more transformational time of year than the season we have just entered - of Elul and of Tishrei - of preparation, reflection, and teshuvah.
     I once heard a story from Rabbi Sholom Rivkin, who told that in the old days, if you wanted to go talk to the king, you had to think about who could help you get invited to the palace. You had to wear your best clothes and learn the court etiquette - how to enter the throne room, when to bow, what to say, where to look. It was all very complicated and very serious. But sometimes, the king just went for a walk in the fields. And at those times, you could just start walking along next to the king and share whatever was on your heart.
     Elul is the season when the King goes walking in the fields.
     I love this imagery, the intimacy, the hope it conveys for coming close to the Divine. I feel my heart leap up: Yes! I too want to go for a walk with the King! (or the Queen - pick your metaphor of royalty.) I want that immediate access, the instant connection. So often I focus on learning the court ritual, or, as we say, "preparing the vessel" - committing to the form of the ritual, dragging my attention back over and over. I know that the practice is a tool that can create the possibility for those moments of awareness. Yet I yearn for those moments of grace.
     I also love this story because the High Holy Days themselves are like the throne room, not like the open fields. They are arguably the most formal, complicated and serious days of our whole year. We could get seduced into thinking that the preparation for these Days of Awe is mostly involved with liturgy and choreography. But this is precisely when God invites greater accessibility of a very different kind.
     And so part of my preparation for the Holy Days includes imagining:

- What would it be like if I could join God for that walk in the fields?

- How would I say hello?

- What would I share about my life?

- What would I ask for?

- What questions would I be asked?

- How would I answer?

- How would I take my leave?

Wishing you an inspiring, heart-opening beginning to these most holy of days!

Day by Day towards the New Year
Reflections from Sinai Temple

13 Elul 5773
August 19, 2013

Dear Sinai - It's Monday and the beginning of a new week. Thinking "new" thoughts leads me to share a "new" approach towards the upcoming Days of Awe. Read on and let me know what you think. MDS

CAN SIX WORDS TELL THE MEANING OF JEWISH LIFE?
What do you think?
In some circles, it's become quite the fashion to write a story in six words or to express one's feelings for a parent or spouse or life in only six words. I suppose it's another take on the Twitter idea of capturing a moment in only 140 characters.
Recently, a book was published with six word summaries of Judaism. I'm going to list some of the summaries below in blue. As you read them, may I ask you to consider:
How might you capture your Jewish life in brief?
Better still, during the month of Elul, how might you capture your feelings about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the meaning of the holidays in only six words? Could you do it?
Would you share what you've written? Send it to me today - markdov@sinai-temple.org

Six Words on Judaism and Being a Jew...

I do not stand idly by.

Avinu Malkenu - My favorite melancholy song.

My grandmother's tattoo dominates my nightmares.

Prayer begins with questions not answers.

Rabbi's sermons are lullabies with meaning.

The Torah's story tells me mine.

The Manischewitz made me do it.

Living torah means always having gratitude.

Vermont Jew: sukkah in a parka

Have faith in asking many questions

Now that you've read the six word comments of others....what do you think? What is your six word commentary on Judaism, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, repentance, and renewal? markdov@sinai-temple.org

Day by Day towards the New Year
Reflections from Sinai Temple

16 Elul 5773
August 22, 2013

As we move through this preparatory period leading up to the New Year, I've come across some "big questions." They were developed under the auspices of Hillel - the Jewish student organization for college students in America.
I think the questions are quite marvelous.
The first will immediately strike you as "the" question for the holidays, but Hillel has given us several more. My sense is that many of them also speak to the challenges of the holidays. We are, after all, asked at this time of year to engage in "cheshbon ha-nefesh," which means taking an account of our souls. Introspection of all kinds is the key to the season.
For that reason, I want to share the full list of "big questions" which I have assembled. They are rolling around in my own head as I myself prepare for the holidays.
You'll see that the first question is very clearly appropriate for the Days of Awe, but how about the others? Do they speak to you? Which ones? Why? Why not? Would you get back to me? I would love to hear how and if these "big questions" speak to you.
Here are the questions:

What will you do better this year?
What's your passion?
What gets you up in the morning?
What does the world need from you?
For whom are we responsible?
When do you forgive?
What do we choose to ignore?
What makes you truly happy?
What have you learned in life so far?
What would you sacrifice to repair the world?
What are you thankful for?
Where do you feel at home?
When do you feel secure?

Rabbi Shapiro markdov@sinai-temple.org

By the way...
In response to Monday's Elul Message about summarizing or highlighting Judaism's role in our lives, I received several responses. Here are the musings of four congregants. (For the sake of confidentiality, I present them anonymously.)

Judaism and the Holidays In Six Words
Jewish by choice not by chance.
A yearly chance to start anew.
Reflection, renewal, and prayer equals peace.
Feel like you were at Sinai.

Day by Day towards the New Year
Reflections from Sinai Temple

20 Elul 5773
August 26, 2013

Two Very Different Approaches Toward Faith at the New Year

When it Gets Hard to Believe the Words of the Prayerbook...
Then it's time to read the following commentary.
The commentary is written by Rabbi Edwin Goldberg who is an editor of the new Reform High Holiday prayerbook...to be published in two years. Here, Rabbi Goldberg talks about the challenge of "believing" the words of the prayerbook that occur in almost every holiday service.

In each Amidah for the Days of Awe there is an insertion regarding remembering us unto life. (Remember us unto Life...Write us in the Book of life.) This imagery of the Book of Life is an important reminder that the Days of Awe are designed to help us deal with both the uncertainty of life and our responsibility to become better human beings. Nevertheless it is easy to mistake the imagery as reflective of a reality in which we are judged by God and, if found wanting, are punished with death. This is a theology that I do not find helpful.

When designing the first pilot draft for the new High Holiday prayer book, I was upset because although I knew there was a beautiful explanation of the meaning of the Book of Life offered by the late Rabbi Maurice Davis, even in this age of Google, I could not find the citation. Then one Saturday night, shortly before publication, I was officiating at the wedding of a couple and the parents mentioned the name of their rabbi in New York in the 1970s. The mention of this rabbi's name reminded me that he had edited a book of great sermons by New York rabbis and that in that book, Maurice Davis had shared his sermon on the subject of the Book of Life.

I bought the book and was able to include this citation in the draft service:

            For us... (the) Book of Life has been reduced to words of casual welcome,
            spoken or written on cards, "L'shana tova tikateivu - May you be inscribed
            For a good year." The Book of Life. I wonder, Is that all it means today?
            When I hear those words, those words to me have meaning. I do not see a
            ledger in the skies wherein my fate is written, signed and sealed. Nor do I
            see some greeting card, bedecked with gaily colored scenes, where on the
            bottom line - unvocalized - appear the words l'shana tova tikateivu. The
            Book of Life to me is a symbol...It says to me, "You are recorded! What
            you say is more than words whispered into the wind. What you are is
            something more than pebbles on a beach. What you do has...an effect."

With this explanation Rabbi Davis helped me understand that the God in whom I
believe may not sit and look at some ledger, like the king in the Book of Esther, but
nonetheless every choice I make has consequences. My actions matter. I can choose
to do good or evil (usually due to lack of awareness, not malice or forethought).

By placing this imagery in the Amidah, the lesson cannot be avoided. Our lives affect
others. We are not only praying for life. We are praying for a life of goodness. We are praying for a life worth living and one worth remembering. Is anything more important?

The Second Approach Toward Faith...

A Song of Preparation              Debbie Perlman
(A poet from Chicago and member of Reform congregation, Beth Emet in Evansville)

As a mother draws her child beside her,
So will You draw us near to You;
As a father swings his child upon his shoulder,
So are we lifted onto the shoulder of the Eternal.

Succored by the fullness of Your love,
We enter into Your family,
Striving as children strive
To blossom beneath Your smile.

As a grandmother croons an ancient lullaby,
So do You sing the songs of our ancestors;
As the uncle tells of past glories,
So do You recall the victories of Your people.

When we remember our stories,
We continue the chronicle of Your people,
Adding our new life to their tales,
Making new again the ancient miracles.

As the brother shields us from the bully,
So do You humble our enemies;
As a sister shares her treasured secrets,
So do You relay the message of Your care.

Through the daily acts of our lives,
You allow us to praise You,
Making our kindnesses holy,
Binding us together.

Day by Day towards the New Year
Reflections from Sinai Temple

24 Elul 5773
August 30, 2013

We are almost at the holidays and I am pleased to offer you a gift.
A ten-minute TED talk, culminating in a video tribute to "today." If Rosh Hashanah reminds us of "the day" on which our spiritual lives are renewed for another year, this video on "today" is a perfect complement to the season.
Watch it. Savor it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&feature=youtu.be

************
And for the 21^st Century ------
10Q: Reflect. React. Renew. 
Life's Biggest Questions. Answered By You.
10 Days. 10 Questions.
Answer one question per day in your own secret online 10Q space. Make your answers serious. Silly. Salacious. However you like. When you're finished, hit the magic button and your answers get sent to the secure online 10Q vault for safekeeping. One year later, the vault will open and your answers will land back in your email inbox for private reflection.
Click www.renewyear.com to get your 10Q on.
10Q begins Sept 4th, 2013
How It Works
Each day, from September 4th, a 10Q question will land in your inbox along with a link. When you click on the link, you will be taken to a private and personal space where you can answer the question. Your answer will be stored. The next day, you will receive another question and a link.
And so on, for ten days.
At the end of the ten days, you will then be invited to hit the magic button and send your answers to a locked online vault. Next year, on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, your answers will magically appear in your inbox.
(Note from Rabbi Shapiro - I have now done 10Q for a few years and my answers from previous years did arrive in my inbox when the holidays began. It was remarkable and fabulous! Try this out. I think you'll be impressed.)
Click www.renewyear.com to get your 10Q on.

************

And...finally...as the month of Tishri approaches with the holidays. A few suggestions for your observance....
First, use the home services that are on our Temple website (www.sinai-temple.org). You should recite the blessings before the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur meals because Judaism begins in the home and because Jews ought to welcome great occasions with gracious thanks (blessings!) for life. You'll also find MUSIC FOR THE HIGH HOLIDAYS at our website. Listen and get yourself ready for the services.
Secondly, attend all the services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Although you may not believe it, I really don't take attendance during the rest of the year. However, when it comes to the holidays, I think attendance is required. It's like going to Tanglewood. You wouldn't arrive for the second movement of the symphony, and you also wouldn't skip the third movement. You wouldn't do so because you know that a piece of music is an organic whole. Missing part of it means missing its meaning.
     Dear friends, the same holds true for High Holiday services. Although I do understand why some people may stay home with family on Erev Rosh Hashanah, every other service is crucial. The whole of the services is what makes the holidays whole.
Third, while I'm offering commentary, you may have forgotten the custom of lighting a yahrzeit/memorial candle before coming to Temple for Kol Nidre. Just as the Yom Kippur Yizkor service is a critical part of entering the New Year, Jews prepare for Yizkor by lighting that small 24-hour candle at home when Yom Kippur begins.
Fourth, fasting is also a necessity on Yom Kippur. I do assume that almost every Sinai congregant fasts, but just in case that's not so, let me remind you that fasting is important because it truly makes the day different, because it reminds us how much we usually take for granted, and because fasting is a small form of deprivation that goes along with the day of introspection. Fasting is also important because it requires discipline and challenges us in one small way to overcome our body's needs and reach for something beyond.
Fifth, there is one more Sinai necessity. Everyone needs to bring food to the Yom Kippur Food Van. It's not hard to do. It's actually an opportunity for goodness which the congregation drops in your lap. While you're not eating voluntarily all you need to do is bring some food for those who go hungry daily.
     And that's it. As a Reform Jew, these five directives should give shape to the next few weeks. Together we have a wonderful journey before us. I look forward to all of it from Erev Rosh Hashanah through to the final tekiah of the Neilah/Closing Service
*********************
For that special video,
Please follow this link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXDMoiEkyuQ&feature=youtu.be

A Few Reminders ------
ONE - If you want to revisit the unique music of the holidays, visit our Temple website. www.sinai-temple.org The Cantor has prepared some of the great texts from the prayer book. You can read the texts in English and Hebrew PLUS you can hear the Cantor sing the melodies!
TWO - While you are visiting the website, you can also find a link to blessings for the meals of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. These "home services" are can be accessed via the home page of the website where the holiday music can also be found. All of our Elul mailings are also there.
THREE - What if someone can't attend services? Or what about your relatives who live outside our area and might want to be part of our Sinai Temple services? Our Caring Community is making arrangements for you to "hear" Sinai services over the telephone. Follow these instructions:
To Listen to Live Sinai Temple Services from your home:
Please call: 1-800-846-4808 (TRZ Religious Services)
You will be instructed to enter Sinai Temple's Account Number 9-736-3619#. You should then begin to hear the service. There is no charge to members for this service. If you call for a second service from the same phone number, you will only hear music and then be placed into the service immediately.