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This year when we hear the shofar we will certainly hear it as a broken cry. We are crying for injustice, violence, pain, fear and unspeakable grief as we enter 5786. This opening prayer, Hinneni, meaning HERE I AM is also a cry, as we cry out in all of our heartbreak and in all of our hope. I can't think of a more urgent time in our collective experience than in this moment of absolute heartbreak as we desperately cling on to hope. This prayer is chanted by the Hazzan/Cantor, the prayer leader on behalf of the congregation, as we stand together as one during the high holy days trembling in fear, overwhelmed in worry and yet also filled with a deep desire for change and redemption. This year, as you hear this ancient melody, close your eyes and let it pierce your soul. This prayer instructs us to love peace and to love truth. It also pleads to the Divine. “May there not be stumbling blocks in our prayers.” What are your personal stumbling blocks? What are our collective stumbling blocks? It concludes with the following blessing. “Blessed are you, who hears our call for renewal, redemption, healing and harmony.” Ken Y’hi Ratzon- May it be so. “I ASKED MYSELF
Who’s listening to these words of confession? Magnificent Ear of the universe, are You my personal confidant? Or am I just talking to myself? Then I got it: The question is a diversion- To distract me From hearing who I really am.” Mishkan HaLev These words are taken from the prayer book that contains our S’lichot prayers, which focus on forgiveness and repentance. These words should stir our souls and ignite more questions such as, “Who am I, really in this moment? And “Who do I want to become?” One of my favorite teachings is from Rabbi David Aaron, who taught me while I was on my first trip to Israel on a Birthright program (a very long time ago!) that we are not human beings, but rather “human becomings.” This is the essential work of the High Holy Day season as we engage in “heshbon hanefesh,” the accounting of our souls to recognize how we want to grow spiritually, act in a more compassionate manner, and be of service to others. There are actually three levels of forgiveness according to Jewish law.
It is interesting to have a deeper understanding of these levels of forgiveness. However, we must recognize that we are all desperately trying to do the very best we can living in this complicated world. So before you rush out to apologize for the hurt you may have caused others, take a moment to instead of beating your chest, to pat your back and to forgive the most important person who will be there to travel with you on your journey for the rest of your life, you. It is okay and mandatory to forgive yourself. It’s already on God’s list. So scratch it off yours. קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְ֫הֹוָ֥ה חֲ֭זַק וְיַאֲמֵ֣ץ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וְ֝קַוֵּ֗ה אֶל־יְהֹוָֽה׃
Look towards God. be strong and let your heart take courage! Look towards God. Psalm 27:14 This is one of my favorite passages in all of the 150 Psalms of David. Every day during the month of Elul that just arrived a few days ago, reminds us to start spiritually preparing for the High Holy Days. We are invited to immerse ourselves in rituals that help us prepare for the deep spiritual work of “teshuva,” a returning to our best selves through acts of prayer, tzedakah, and repentance. This passage we recite twice a day in psalm 27, should wake us up by encouraging us to practice patience and strength. We should do this by not only passively looking towards the Divine but relying on our own actions of courage and resilience as we actively trust in God at the same time. This task feels extremely daunting in this challenging moment we are living in as Jews. “Teshuvah,” meaning returning and repenting, is the central gesture of the High Holy Day season. Rabbi Joseph Solevetchik describes teshuva as a circular motion. He writes,“If you aren’t moving along the circumference of a circle, it might seem as if the starting point is getting farther and farther away, but actually it is also getting closer and closer. The calendar year is such a circle. On Rosh Hashana, a new year begins and every day is one day farther from the starting point, but every day is also a return, a drawing closer to the completion of that cycle.” Rabbi Solevechitch points out that every step we take away is a step closer to home. This Shabbat, we invite you to come home as we begin to celebrate this cycle of life as we bring new babies into the covenant, bless new adventures, as well as come full circle as we welcome the “Millie Baran Project” to Temple Israel. In collaboration with a local organization, A Tribe for Jazz, composer and pianist Albert Marquès will be presenting his Ampl!fy Voices project, the haunting and heartfelt “Mir Zaynen Do,” a musical collaboration with 99 year old Holocaust survivor Millie Baran. Released as three tracks/videos, this new jazz composition includes Millie and her daughters singing the Yiddish song “Mir Zaynen Do” (We Are Here מיר זיינען דא). Its lyrics were written in 1943 by Hirsh Glick, a young Jewish inhabitant of the Vilna Ghetto, who was inspired by news of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. Mir Zaynen Do (also known as “Zog nit keyn mol," “Partisan Song” or "The Song of the Warsaw Ghetto") was adopted by Jewish partisan groups throughout Eastern Europe during World War II, and became a symbol of resistance against Nazi Germany. With the help and partnership of Jewish Family Services, we will also be welcoming and hosting local Holocaust survivors to stand and be recognized for their courage, resilience and faith, the true essence of the psalmist words. |
COMMENTARYThis is the place where Cantor Bat-Ami Moses shares her thoughts on spirituality, current events, and whatever else piques her interest. ArchivesCategories |
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