| Dear Hanna:
Rosh HaShannah literally means "the head of the
year", it is one of four types of new year
spiritual practices in Judaism. The Jewish calendar begins with a new date
for the year at this time. Since our people is one of the longest continuously existing
forms of
human organization on the planet, we do not use the Gregorian
calendar with
BC and AD, we start with a date that mystically represents "the beginning of
time" and illustrates our long relationship with God.
A major theme of Rosh HaShannah is rebirthing and creation. There
is an
sense of awe and fear about creation that permeates this holiday which is
also rich in praise of the Source of Life for this gift of embodied life we
are given. There is a great deal of inspiration the sages suggest we can find
in creation, for all species are constantly evolving on their journey,
nothing was made perfect and kept at a stand still.....the "Creator" placed
the ability for constant transformation and improvement within creation.
A big difference between the Jewish New Year and the secular New Year
in
January is that we see the celebration of creation, its on-going nature and
our ability to participate in it as a serious matter. The Jewish New Year is
embedded in a holy day sequence that is a spiral of attention to
transformation which runs through our entire lives.
During the month preceding Rosh HaShannah it is a Jewish spiritual
practice to sound the shofar at home once a day. After hearing this one
journals or reflects upon the ways one has missed the mark in this particular
year of one's life. Then one goes to anyone with whom there is negative
energy and says "I feel negative energy between us, I'd appreciate hearing
from you what that is about and if you might be willing to do so, for us to
work on returning our relationship to a better place." This can be done with
a soul living or dead in my experience.
The ripples from that offer to enter into understanding and
healing then spread through families, work sites, time and space, sometimes one can feel
God's gentle sigh of happiness as this happens. By the time Rosh HaShannah
comes one may already be celebrating a re-birthing of connections.....even
just a tiny opening which might not mature into full healing for several
years.
This year we won't sound the shofar on Rosh HaShannah because it
falls on Shabbat. We will chant the special blessing for the new season and in the
silence the memory of shofar blasts will fill our soul with the powerful awareness shofar
comes to bring. What will you hear in that shofar silence?
Challah bread is reshaped during this season, starting with Rosh
HaShannah and finishing at the end of Sukkot, it is spiral shaped rather than the long
braided loaves. This symbolizes life and the spiral of teshuvah, personal
transformation and also the needed improvement of our people as a whole.
Sometimes one will see a ladder made of dough atop the challah, this
represents the ladder from Jacob's dream. What does such imagery mean to you as you enter
the New Year?
Much much love from my heart to yours. I hope we will all
do teshuvah and growth together with integrity, love and depth for many, many years to
come. Reb Goldie
 For
in depth high holiday spiritual guidance
A Publishers' Weekly first pick!
Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice:
Holy Days and Shabbat
by
Rabbi Goldie Milgram
A Psalm for the Conductor on Rosh
HaShannah
Reader One: G*d at
the burning bush explains: "Ehyeh asher ehyeh" "I am becoming what I
am becoming."
Reader Two: So are we!
Reader Three: To this we exclaim:
Everyone: Ameyn!
Reader One: Today we celebrate the re-birthday of worlds
within, around and beyond!
Reader Two: Let us praise.
Everyone: Ameyn!
Reader One: May we all be blessed with the capacity for
awe at the possibility of multiverses, at the ability of matter and matters
to adapt, evolve, change.
Reader Two: We all have the capacity to do the same!
Reader Three: Hear our pledge: Everyone: Ameyn!
Reader One: In life we too often face the teacher, the
ark, the leader, the conductor, the computer monitor, the game.
Reader Two: Yet our greatest challenge is to learn how to face each
other.
Reader Three: Is that true for you? If so - chant your truth:
Everyone: Ameyn!
Reader One: Today is for singing and sighing out the
heart's prayer - full and strong.
Reader Two: As water flowing from rivers and streams,
shapes the clarity of a lake,so each person's presence, voice, visions, and
values dreams, fears, and deeds help shape the Jewish people and the human
future.
Reader Three: To this let us call out
Everyone: Ameyn!
Reader One: May we have the courage to accept the opportunity of this
season. To heal personal and perhaps even human
history by facing each other with kindness in truth.
Reader Two: And let us all say:
Everyone: Ameyn!
by R’Goldie Milgram
-----------------------------------
For contemplation:
The word shofar is from the verb "improve" shee-payr
- shin - pay - raysh
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