“In the seventh month on the first day of the month, you shall observe…a sacred occasion marked with loud blasts” (Leviticus 23). One of the hallmarks of our commemoration of the High Holy Days is the shofar. Each year, we listen to those familiar blasts. But, what if the very act of listening on Rosh Hashanah does not cease there? What if the shofar is a first step in listening?

Afterall, we do many types of listening during the High Holy Days. Yes, we listen to the shofar, but we also listen to the prayers of those around us, the musical settings, the words of the mahzor, the prayer book.

In the biblical story of the prophet Elijah, as we read of the prophet’s encounter with God, we discover something even more: “There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of God, but God was not in the wind. After the wind–an earthquake. God was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake–fire. God was not in the fire. After the fire–a still small voice.” Sometimes in the loudest of moments, the noise forces us to listen. However, Elijah reminds us that he did not find God in the racket of the wind, the earthquake or the fire. He found God in the still small voice.

As we commemorate Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the shofar blasts instruct us to “Listen up!” Possibly, the shofar is just a prelude to hear what comes next: the still, small voice. Yes, a quiet one, however one that guides us in our growth, in the changes we wish to make in the year ahead, in the understanding of who are the individuals we hope to be. Some call this voice conscience, some call it God. Whatever you may call it, what will you be listening to on this Rosh Hashanah?

Shana tova u’metukah! Looking forward to our journey together this New Year.

Rabbi Debra Bennet

Shanah Tovah U’metucah

Last year, on October 7th, the end of the High Holiday season, I was officiating a wedding. The bride’s first cousin was still in Israel, and as we stood there together, unsure of what to do, how to feel, we had a wedding. We did everything we could to infuse joy into that moment, even when it felt like the whole world was falling apart. My friends, 5784, the Jewish year we are about to end, has been one with many moments of challenge. I know we could go on for quite a long time about all the reasons for despair in the face of such frustration. But, we are a part of the
Jewish community, and as such we have constantly chosen love over hate. We have chosen joy over rage. We have chosen hope over despair. And I believe that we will continue to make that choice over and over again, until we turn around and see that our world is better because we have been a part of it. The Prophet Zechariah said in the name of God:

שׁ֚ ּובּו לְ בִ צָּר֔ ֹון אֲסִ יר ֵ֖ י הַתִ קְ וָּ ָ֑ה[Saying], “Return to Bizzaron,
You prisoners of hope.”

Hope is in our DNA, and we must continue to choose it and create the 5785 together that we will all be proud of.

Rabbi David E. Levy