I love the high holidays! I love being with family, friends, and community. And this year is even more special because after two years we will be together.
As a rabbi who prepares hours on end for these services, I know I have an advantage. And that comes from spending time with the liturgy and readings. As a result, I have come to see myself in the holy days.
I’ll explain.
It may sound strange coming from a rabbi, whose religion is deeply immersed in the idea of “tradition,” that I need religious celebrations and observances to inform and inspire me in the present.
Traditions help create connections to the past and deepen religious feeling, but our inherited traditions also need meaning that speaks to the needs or challenges of our times. I have learned that even our most ancient traditions can address life in the present.
The Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, is the beginning of what are known as the High Holy Days. It is followed by the “Ten Days of Repentance.” These 10 days are meant for self-reflection and consideration of our own behaviors. They culminate on the holiest day, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
So, what can be said that’s particularly meaningful for us and our world today?
Central to the Ten Days is a notion of teshuvah, which literally means “return” and calls upon us to examine ourselves and see where we can improve. We might ask, “How can I be kinder, more patient, more forgiving, more giving in this world?” Looking at all of the disturbing events and issues in our world, we can easily be overwhelmed and feel helpless. But when personal reflection leads to change, we give ourselves agency to fix some of the problems of the world.
The most profound message of these holidays reminds us that the world begins with you and me! In a world that is so deeply divided, where there is so much violence against each other and our environment, where there is anger and hostility and such intolerance for the “other,” this ancient tradition tells us to look at ourselves and see what we can do to create change for the better.
I wish all a good, healthy, and meaningful New Year! Shana Tova.
David Steinhardt is a senior rabbi at B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton.