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As
a young child, the most important part of the Rosh Hashana service for me was
the Shofar service. No matter how little we were, my mother brought us out of
childcare or the children's service and into the main sanctuary so we could hear
the blast of the Shofar as a family. I would hear it again later at the children's
service, but it was never quite the same as the first time I heard it. When I
was older I tried blowing the Shofar, but I never had the knack for it. The
other part of Rosh Hashana I always found fascinating was the ceremony called
Tashlich, which means to "cast off." Usually on the afternoon of the
first day of Rosh Hashana my family would walk down the road to a river and throw
breadcrumbs in the water as my father recited penitential prayers, especially
the verse from the Book of Micah which said, "And thou wilt cast (ve-tashlich)
all thy sins into the depths of the sea." The breadcrumbs symbolized the
sins we had committed throughout the year (I usually got a good handful to throw,
can't imagine why). However, I liked the idea that I could be forgiven for the
things I did and start with a clean slate. It enabled me to think about how I
could do better, that change could happen. Today, unfortunately, I do not hear
the Shofar every morning before I go to work, but I do take serious reflection
time to think about my actions throughout the year. And as I throw the breadcrumbs
into the water, I still take some solace in the fact that I can begin again. I
can be better, do better, and improve on my relations with others and with G-d. As
I reflect on this past year at OZ, I celebrate many of the great things that we
accomplished and recognize many things that we can do better. At the Kol Nidre
service I will give a formal message to the congregation about our past year,
but for now I would just like to highlight two important activities: First, our
strategic visioning and planning process called Tikvah 2020. We are working closely
with Bob Leventhal of the Alban Institute to guide us in this process. Yoram Samets,
chair of the committee, Mike Kanarick, our Executive Director, and the steering
and planning committee have spent many hours refining a "parlor meeting"
process that will enable us to gather input from you about how the diverse spiritual,
emotional, and social needs of our congregation can best be served. You recently
received a letter inviting you to get involved and attend one of these parlor
meetings. Some of you already have. I encourage everyone to try to attend one.
Through these meetings we will discover what you are thinking, what you need,
and what opportunities lie ahead. The data collected will inform our strategic
direction. While some action steps will undoubtedly happen soon, others may take
years to accomplish. As I said in my August message, membership can be a partnership.
It can offer each of us the opportunity to create a community in which we can
sustain and nourish one another. The
second activity I'd like to mention is the upcoming Open House on Sunday, September
7. This is an opportunity for all our members to see what is happening now at
OZ. There will be information about committee activities, programs and activities
scheduled for the upcoming year, and opportunities for members to get involved
in their areas of interest. There will be activities for children, gifts for those
who attend, and prizes. At noon everyone is invited to a special luncheon to welcome
our new members. These two activities are great ways to get informed, involved
and enlightened; to become a partner in our community. On
behalf of my family, I wish you a happy and healthy New Year. May we together
reflect on our past, resolve any issues we left undone, and move forward to make
changes that will enhance our Jewish life and our connections with each other.
~Basha
Brody
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September
is the month in which we begin our Jewish High Holiday and Festival season. The
High Holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, unlike the other major Jewish holidays,
are not related to historical events. Nor are they really joyous holidays. They
are purely religious holidays in which we reflect on ourselves, our relationship
with others and our relationship with G-d. That reflection actually starts from
the beginning of the new month of Elul. As a child, I remember each weekday morning
my father would blast the sound of the Shofar before we went off to school. It
was a reminder to us that the High Holidays were approaching and we needed to
spend some time reflecting on our past year; to take stock of our lives and see
what improvements we could make.