Go forth
The holiday season came and went in a blur, ushering in a welcome flurry of fall activity. After the slow pace of the long, hot summer, there is something refreshing and energizing about not only the beginning of a new Jewish year but a new academic year and a new communal year as well. No comments yet. You can be the first!
Sitting in high holiday services, with time to reflect, I thought about the comfort that comes from the continuous cycling of the year, its very predictability, like clockwork, first Rosh Hashanah, then Yom Kippur and then Sukkot. Too, looking around the congregation where we’ve been members for almost 30 years, I counted the blessings of family, friends and community.
And yet, it is too easy to slip from one year to the next, cosseted by what is comfortable, predictable, familiar. Even if we sit in the same seats in the same shul, there is inherent in the message of a new year a push to go forth to find new ways to renew ourselves.
There are a plethora of possibilities to choose from, classes, lectures, programs to excite the mind and restore the soul. Even with the economy in the doldrums, there are lots of opportunities for learning and growing, many free or at nominal charge. Next week’s Ethnic Flavors of Israel might be a delicious one to consider, and the upcoming Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center Book and Cultural Arts Fair is another. The Bureau of Jewish Education offers ongoing programs, and many of our local congregations offer a variety of ways to stretch your mind or rejuvenate your spirit.
Check out Jewish News listings and coverage during the year and consider venturing in a new direction in the months ahead. When the high holidays roll around next year, you won’t be the same person, even if you are sitting in the same seat.
25 Oct, 2009 >