Rabbi Ashira's Reflections
September 2023
Dear Chevre,
I can’t believe summer is coming to an end and fall is nearly upon us! I was chatting with another mom, who said she couldn’t believe that everything was starting back up again and that she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. Although she was thinking of her kids’ activities and the return to school, I couldn’t help but think about how I feel similarly about the Jewish calendar.
About two weeks ago, we entered the month of Elul, the month leading up to the High Holidays and the new Jewish year. It feels as though I have just started to settle in at Temple Emanu-El and yet we already are in the season of introspection. Our Torah reading cycle also reminds us that we are standing at the threshold of the new year. Each week we get a little closer to the end of the book of Deuteronomy, closer to the Israelites entering the Promised Land. I wonder how they felt as they stood in the land of Moav on the other side of the Jordan River. Did they feel relief that soon their wandering would be over? Did they feel ready, maybe more than ready, to enter the land? Or did they, like the other mom and me, feel surprised that they finally were there but were not altogether certain they were ready to enter?
Crossing into the Promised Land would lead to significant changes for the Israelites—new leadership, new living arrangements, new ritual practices, and more. For all that the Israelites complained in the wilderness, they must have felt at least a little trepidation about all of the changes, and maybe they also wondered whether they were really ready for what was to come. And yet, the Israelites did eventually enter the Promised Land where they faced the challenges of settling the land while finding opportunities to create a holy community.
In a little less than a month, we will enter the new Jewish year of 5784. I am excited about celebrating the holidays with all of you, and I am looking forward to the opportunities to connect and grow together in the new year. At the same time, I recognize that entering any new year is filled with uncertainty, and that can make me feel a little nervous. We can learn how to navigate our many feelings about entering the new year from what our spiritual ancestors did as they stood at the border of the Promised Land.
When I look at the book of Deuteronomy as a whole, I see that much of it is dedicated to retelling the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness and to making clear the guiding principles and rules for their life in the Promised Land. In other words, the Israelites look back so that they can plan for the future.
This month of Elul is a time when we are especially encouraged to reflect on our past so that we can make plans for our future. Usually we think of this time of introspection as an individual activity. This year, I invite you to expand the scope of your reflections beyond yourself and your interpersonal relation-ships to include your relationship with the Temple Emanu-El community. I offer the following questions as prompts to help you think about your past experiences with this congregation and begin to set intentions for how you would like to be involved with Temple Emanu-El in the coming year.
Over the next month, many things will be “starting up again” at Temple Emanu-El. We will enter the High Holidays on Saturday, September 9, at 8:00 pm with S’lichot services. More information about Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur has been shared by email and is available on our website. The first day of religious school is Sunday, September 10, and we will meet at Barker’s Farm in North Andover at 10:00 am for apple picking. Many of our committees will be reconvening to make plans for the coming year as well. In case you missed the announcement in my weekly message, the results of the adult learning poll are in! I will be offering a class centered around Rabbi Toba Spitzer’s book God is Here: Reimagining the Divine. The exact schedule will be finalized soon, so keep an eye on your email and on the website. And of course, we will continue to enjoy the beauty of Shabbat on Saturday mornings each week, and Friday night services will resume on September 1.
I encourage you to be a part of these events. Attending and participating in congregational activities and services helps re-establish and build upon the connections you have with the community, and your presence makes the time together meaningful and sacred. Although we might be surprised to find ourselves at the start of a new year already, we will cross this threshold and find our way through the new landscape together, united in our desire to create a holy community in which we support and care for one another.
May this new year of 5784 be filled with sweetness and the blessings of good health, meaningful learning, and loving friends.
Bivracha, with blessing,
Rabbi Ashira
I can’t believe summer is coming to an end and fall is nearly upon us! I was chatting with another mom, who said she couldn’t believe that everything was starting back up again and that she wasn’t sure she was ready for it. Although she was thinking of her kids’ activities and the return to school, I couldn’t help but think about how I feel similarly about the Jewish calendar.
About two weeks ago, we entered the month of Elul, the month leading up to the High Holidays and the new Jewish year. It feels as though I have just started to settle in at Temple Emanu-El and yet we already are in the season of introspection. Our Torah reading cycle also reminds us that we are standing at the threshold of the new year. Each week we get a little closer to the end of the book of Deuteronomy, closer to the Israelites entering the Promised Land. I wonder how they felt as they stood in the land of Moav on the other side of the Jordan River. Did they feel relief that soon their wandering would be over? Did they feel ready, maybe more than ready, to enter the land? Or did they, like the other mom and me, feel surprised that they finally were there but were not altogether certain they were ready to enter?
Crossing into the Promised Land would lead to significant changes for the Israelites—new leadership, new living arrangements, new ritual practices, and more. For all that the Israelites complained in the wilderness, they must have felt at least a little trepidation about all of the changes, and maybe they also wondered whether they were really ready for what was to come. And yet, the Israelites did eventually enter the Promised Land where they faced the challenges of settling the land while finding opportunities to create a holy community.
In a little less than a month, we will enter the new Jewish year of 5784. I am excited about celebrating the holidays with all of you, and I am looking forward to the opportunities to connect and grow together in the new year. At the same time, I recognize that entering any new year is filled with uncertainty, and that can make me feel a little nervous. We can learn how to navigate our many feelings about entering the new year from what our spiritual ancestors did as they stood at the border of the Promised Land.
When I look at the book of Deuteronomy as a whole, I see that much of it is dedicated to retelling the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness and to making clear the guiding principles and rules for their life in the Promised Land. In other words, the Israelites look back so that they can plan for the future.
This month of Elul is a time when we are especially encouraged to reflect on our past so that we can make plans for our future. Usually we think of this time of introspection as an individual activity. This year, I invite you to expand the scope of your reflections beyond yourself and your interpersonal relation-ships to include your relationship with the Temple Emanu-El community. I offer the following questions as prompts to help you think about your past experiences with this congregation and begin to set intentions for how you would like to be involved with Temple Emanu-El in the coming year.
- What brought you to Temple Emanu-El initially?
- What has changed for you since your first experiences in the congregation?
- What congregational activities and events have been meaningful for you or others in your household? What made those experiences meaningful?
- When have you felt most connected to other members of the Temple Emanu-El community?
- Which traditions have you cherished most in your time at Temple Emanu-El?
- What do you wish to see happen within the Temple Emanu-El community? What passions, hobbies, or other interests would you like to share with others?
Over the next month, many things will be “starting up again” at Temple Emanu-El. We will enter the High Holidays on Saturday, September 9, at 8:00 pm with S’lichot services. More information about Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur has been shared by email and is available on our website. The first day of religious school is Sunday, September 10, and we will meet at Barker’s Farm in North Andover at 10:00 am for apple picking. Many of our committees will be reconvening to make plans for the coming year as well. In case you missed the announcement in my weekly message, the results of the adult learning poll are in! I will be offering a class centered around Rabbi Toba Spitzer’s book God is Here: Reimagining the Divine. The exact schedule will be finalized soon, so keep an eye on your email and on the website. And of course, we will continue to enjoy the beauty of Shabbat on Saturday mornings each week, and Friday night services will resume on September 1.
I encourage you to be a part of these events. Attending and participating in congregational activities and services helps re-establish and build upon the connections you have with the community, and your presence makes the time together meaningful and sacred. Although we might be surprised to find ourselves at the start of a new year already, we will cross this threshold and find our way through the new landscape together, united in our desire to create a holy community in which we support and care for one another.
May this new year of 5784 be filled with sweetness and the blessings of good health, meaningful learning, and loving friends.
Bivracha, with blessing,
Rabbi Ashira