New Year is upon us! Rosh Hashanah is coming! The cycle of Jewish life is about to be renewed once again, with ritual, prayers, solemn and uplifting community gatherings, family reunions – and, of course, lots and lots of food. Food for the body, food for the soul.
The spirit of renewal is very much in the air at Temple Emanuel. For the first time in our congregation’s history we are gathering our entire community under one roof! The One Campus addition has been completed and has already transformed the daily life of our community. One roof. One set of doors. One house for learning, prayer and gathering. Bright and spacious classrooms just in time for the brand new educational year for our children. A new director of religious school, Jodi Harris, dedicated to making this new academic year the best one yet for our young families. A year full of adult learning opportunities, giving us a renewed sense of excitement about our spiritual home. A reinvigorated intergenerational community that is rolling up its sleeves to move furniture, transform gardens, update the library and celebrate the fact that we still have that pioneer TE spirit that has been our signature card for over 50 years!
The month of Elul, leading up to High Holy Days, is the time to look back, to take stock, to slow down and to get in the right set of mind. Time to evaluate our priorities, make changes, get back on track. Time to think more about tzedakah and to be more philanthropic. With all the demands of the move into the new wing, it has not been easy to find time to sit quietly and to ponder in a traditional Elul kind of way. And yet, as I watched dozens and dozens of volunteers come together to express their love for Temple Emanuel through hard work and dedication, I couldn’t help but feel that this was a perfect way to usher in the month of Elul and to begin the countdown to the most sacred days of the Jewish year.
May this New Year 5776 be the year of renewal for us all. May we see these exciting new experiences as an invitation for us to try new things in this Jewish year. Let us be adventurous and deepen our Jewish knowledge and involvement. We no longer have to wonder if we will know which door to enter – all we have to do is walk in!
Wishing you and your loved ones shanah tovah u’metukah, a sweet and happy new year.