From Summer To Autumn

Rabbi's Message, Rabbi Linda Potemken From Summer to Autumn The signposts of September are here: shorter days,shifting weather, turning leaves, heavier traffic, school in session. We welcome Autumn as we say our goodbyes to this strange Summer of 2014. So many blessings, so many tears. Our local Summer weather was the best ever and many of us found opportunities for rest and rejuvenation. But it has also been a difficult Summer . In addition to the personal joys and sorrows that make up a life we are still grappling with the painful and confusing events in Israel, the Middle East and other places in the world. In our Jewish world the signs of September signal the approach of a profound season and a new year. In addition to the comfort and joy that we find in our Beth Israel community, this season demands that we challenge ourselves in the service of living a meaningful life. In the weeks leading up to the Days of Awe (Yamim Noraim or High Holy Days) we are asked to prepare ourselves. This is a time to examine our relationships with others and with our world. It is the season where we explore our purpose in life and evaluate how we use the precious gift of time. We are invited to identify that which is broken in our lives and in need of healing. The power and the meaning of the High Holy Day services are amplified when we take the time to prepare. I urge you to do so. Join us on a Shabbat in September or for Selihot the evening of September 20th. Make some room each day or each week for reflection on the year that has passed. Reach out to the people in your life to mend relationships wherever possible. Reflect on how you might better use the gift of time in the year to come. What chapter do you hope to write in your personal book of life? How will you hold on to your essence, your values and your goodness as you encounter old and new challenges? How might you embrace the gifts of forgiveness and teshuvah (repentance)? How might you open your heart to God or to Godliness in this awe-filled season? We are the beneficiaries of a rich tradition that reminds us that it is incumbent upon us to enjoy and to appreciate the goodness of this life while noting and working hard to repair the brokenness within our own hearts, homes, communities and world. We cannot fix everything but we can take small steps to bring a measure of healing and peace where it is needed. The ancient teaching of Rabbi Tarfon is still the right prescription for today: Tarfon taught: "It is not your responsibility to finish the work [of perfecting the world], but you are not free to desist from it either" (Pirkei Avot, Ethics of the Ancestors, 2:16). Welcome to another year at Beth Israel, where we come together to nourish our hearts, minds and souls and where we work together to make the world a better place. Wishing you a sweet and healthy new year, Rabbi Linda