Image: Israeli Rabbi Stacey Blank blows the shofar. (Photo: Rabbi Stacey Blank)
So how has your Fall cycle of holidays gone this year?
We began back in August with the month of Elul, thinking upon our relationships and our own behavior, mending what we could.
Then with Selichot, things got serious: we said penitential prayers, the tunes changed, the clergy and the Torahs wore white.
When Rosh Hashanah came with all its pagentry, a combination of awe and celebration, we welcomed the New Year and hoped for a good year to come.
The Ten Days of Awe sped past, with so much to do and so little time to do it.
And soon it was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement – how was that for you?
Now we are almost at the end of Sukkot. The weather is beginning to chill even as our hearts warm. It’s good to spend time with friends and family, good to be grateful.
As the ancient cycle turned this year, the world intruded again and again with upsetting news at home and abroad. A giant earthquake and tsunami wracked Indonesia; a different kind of earthquake rocked Washington, D.C.
As the final festivities of the fall cycle approach (Shimini Atzeret Simchat Torah, anyone?) where are you? What about you has changed? What has gotten better? Any reflections to share with us here in the comments?
Nearing the end of sukkot, I was truly grateful for my time with family and friends. It was a great spiritual retreat from the world, even though events of the world seeped in.
What has changed for me? I have renewed my efforts to focus on more spiritual matters with increased study, prayer, and fasting. I am renewing my efforts to treat others with more kindness, understanding, and mercy. 🙂
Sounds like a very fruitful season, rockywritr!
I am emotionally exhausted but spiritually strengthened. I am ready to re-enter the world of deeds and Torah.
Wonderful!