No matter how many times this month comes and goes, it never gets old. We start with Rosh Hashanah, which marks the creation of man and woman, followed by Yom Kippur, a day of inward reflection, followed by Sukkot, a time of coming together in community, and end with Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, a holiday of unbridled joy for the Torah, the book of the Jewish people. Needless to say, it's a jam packed month that takes us from the creation of a person to the celebration of a people and finally to the ecstatic gratitude of the glue that holds us all together, the 5 books of Moses. Each year, we are encouraged and empowered to re-create ourselves and re-connect with our crazy Jewish Family . According to the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic Movement, G!d is continually creating the world, every second is an act of creation. The same is true for us. At any moment, we have the power to create, to bring something new into existence, pretty amazing, right? This time of year is a reminder and call for all of us to dig as deeply as we can to uncover our unique creat-ivity and to use the support of our community to contribute one more spark, no matter how small, to the healing of this broken world. And perhaps, the reason why we end by celebrating the Torah itself is because it is the foundation from which growth, both personal and communal, is possible. It's our family heirloom! I thank my ancestors and my community for continuing to commit to the Jewish Journey because without them, the impact and meaning of these incredible rituals would be far less.
