Dear Friends,
I am writing this message on a plane en-route to Denver. This
past week, I have been out of the country officiating at a wedding. As
wonderful as it was to be celebrating a simcha in a beautiful location,
the ongoing war in Israel and the recent horrific murders of 6 Israeli hostages
cast a long shadow on our festivities.
A highlight of every Jewish wedding is the chanting of the
words, “Soon may there be heard in the cities of Judah and the neighborhoods of
Jerusalem – the song of joy and happiness, the voice of the bride and groom,
the joyous celebrations of youth and the songs of children at play…”
I must confess, it was difficult to chant these ancient,
hopeful words which speak of the longing to rejoice in our ancient homeland
while parents were burying their children and Jews around the world were filled
with grief and uncertainty. The joyous act of celebrating a wedding seemed
incongruous considering the grief, anger, and fear that was once again kindled
– as has repeatedly been the case - ever since the heinous attack on October 7th.
And yet, we did not refrain from our celebration. To have done so would have
been improper. It would also have granted our enemies a small victory. When I
chanted those words under the Chuppah (the wedding canopy), I spoke
about our pain. When the glass was broken, I shared how our history has always been filled with both joy and brokenness. This is what
we do as Jews. There is a famous
teaching from the Talmud - tractate Ketubot, that instructs, “If
a funeral procession and a wedding procession meet at an intersection, the
wedding procession goes first.” As Ecclesiastes teaches: “To everything
there is a season… a time to Mourn and a time to dance….”
As many of you know, on this Shabbat we will be culminating
our year-long celebration of Temple Emanuel’s 150th Anniversary with a special
Friday night service and gala celebration on Saturday night. We are justifiably
proud of our congregation and its legacy, and we intend to carry on with our
plans. And yet, we also understand the need to respond to the tragic events of
this past week. As such, our services, in addition to celebrating our history,
will also serve as a Shabbat of Solidarity with Israel and our entire
community. Together we will mourn – and then we will rejoice. Saturday night’s
gala will go on as planned, and on Sunday morning, at 10:00 am, we encourage
everyone to attend the “Run for Their Lives” at Washington Park where our
community will come together to show our support for Israel and share our pain.
As we contemplate the mixture of emotions we are feeling, we
also want to acknowledge the sacred time of year into which we are now
entering.
This past Wednesday, September 4th, marked the first day of
the Hebrew month of Elul. It is customary during the four weeks that
precede the High Holidays, to begin intensive personal preparations for the New
Year. This process, called Cheshbon Ha-Nefesh – an inventory of our
souls – requires that each of us engage in a process of self-examination.
During this sacred season we look closely at our relationships, thoughts,
deeds, fears and dreams. We do this so that we can enter the Yamim Noraim–
the Days of Awe – spiritually and personally renewed and prepared for the
process of teshuvah (repentance/returning).
Our tradition teaches that the month of Elul compels
us to ask for forgiveness from those we have wronged over the course of the
past year. We are also commanded to forgive those
who ask us as well.
It has become our tradition at Temple Emanuel to focus on
different aspects of our lives during the four weeks of Elul. Each week,
a member of our Clergy Team will be sending out an message addressing our
Communal, Interpersonal, Physical, and Spiritual Selves. Each message will
begin with an introduction to the week’s theme, followed by 7 questions that we
can ask ourselves. At each Friday Night Service we will address our comments
and questions in our remarks.
Given the fact that the events of this past week have shaken
us to the core, it is appropriate to focus this week’s questions around
Community.
Most of us are part of multiple communities. Sometimes
they intersect and sometimes they do not, but our ability to forge meaningful
relationships with those with whom we share our lives is a vitally important
aspect of our overall health.
As such, here are 7 questions to think about as we enter
into this sacred month of Elul:
- How has the tragedy of
October 7th and the war that has followed brought me closer to my
community? How have these events distanced me from my community?
- There are many people who
are passionate about what is happening in Israel and Gaza – we do not all
agree. How has this disagreement affected me personally? Has it changed the way
I view my community?
- Have I allowed the current
divisive rhetoric so prevalent in the current US political climate to impact my
relationships with people in my life who do not share my views?
- Everywhere we look we see a
rise in anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.
How has this affected my relationship with my community?
- When I am at synagogue,
have I done all that I can to make others feel welcomed in the same way that I
want to feel welcome?
- When asked to help support
the important institutions in my community, have I given as much as I could or
should?
- How often have I allowed
myself to retreat into my own bubble when I could have participated in
activities that connect me to others in my community?
These questions are in no way complete. They are
designed to help all of us to begin the process of looking deep within
ourselves and our souls as we enter into the month of Elul.
We want to hear from you. If you have thoughts questions, or
comments about anything we encourage you to let us know.
May we all utilize these and all of our questions to help
gain a better understanding of our communal selves.
L’Shanah Tovah,
Rabbi Joseph R. Black
