At sunset today Rosh Hashanah

[HaShev]

Tonight starts Rosh Hashanah and around this time I like to teach a lesson about the holiday.

Sometimes in life, there are situations that we would prefer not to deal with.
Maybe it's a problem that we just can't come to terms with, or a habit which we can't seem to kick.
It's tough to admit that we're less than perfect, that we need help.
An ostrich buries its head in the sand and hides, and the dog that knows he did wrong in relieving himself on your carpet whimpers behind the easy chair trying to hide from his master in shame.
Why is it so difficult for us to admit what we do? Ego, fear, feelings of inadequacy?
What drives us to hide and pretend it doesn't exist or worse displace blame?

During this holiday celebrating the New Year we reflect on how to make our lives more stable 'whole' and 'complete' ('Shalem').
We must use this reflection to remove that barrier and protective covering that we build around ourselves when we hide from
our issues and therefore from addressing them and improving ourselves and our society around us to become more stable.
During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we involve ourselves in an introspective process to free ourselves of that avoidance nature
and this self judgment and atonement process is called, in Hebrew, 'Teshuva'.
A reflection returning us to reality. Taking our heads out of the sand, dropping our frail human ego, and taking us from our hiding from behind the couch to face our reality of what we've become and compare that to what we could and should be.

 

[shimon]

Tonight starts Rosh Hashanah and around this time I like to teach a lesson about the holiday.

Sometimes in life, there are situations that we would prefer not to deal with.
Maybe it's a problem that we just can't come to terms with, or a habit which we can't seem to kick.
It's tough to admit that we're less than perfect, that we need help.
An ostrich buries its head in the sand and hides, and the dog that knows he did wrong in relieving himself on your carpet whimpers behind the easy chair trying to hide from his master in shame.
Why is it so difficult for us to admit what we do? Ego, fear, feelings of inadequacy?
What drives us to hide and pretend it doesn't exist or worse displace blame?

During this holiday celebrating the New Year we reflect on how to make our lives more stable 'whole' and 'complete' ('Shalem').
We must use this reflection to remove that barrier and protective covering that we build around ourselves when we hide from
our issues and therefore from addressing them and improving ourselves and our society around us to become more stable.
During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we involve ourselves in an introspective process to free ourselves of that avoidance nature
and this self judgment and atonement process is called, in Hebrew, 'Teshuva'.
A reflection returning us to reality. Taking our heads out of the sand, dropping our frail human ego, and taking us from our hiding from behind the couch to face our reality of what we've become and compare that to what we could and should be.

It is early this year and yet we are still facing the same issues that we were last year where we were kept from going to our houses of worship and from our families and friends.. Really nothing has changed and no lessons were learned except maybe we have even less freedom then before . Nevertheless the “ light”( light is truth and knowledge) may be diminished but it can never be put out that is something all of us should reflect on as we move forward into this new year with renewed hope and commitment. Nothing or no one is perfect striving to better oneself should always be the goal even though sometimes it feels like to much hard work… Regardless each one of stands alone in our merits and rewards I hope all of us will attain not just a good year but a sweet year full of happiness, health and joy…Teshuva or repentance should go along way to achieving this goal…L’ Shana Tova

 

[Lysistrata]

I wish all of you a very happy, healthy, safe, peaceful, and prosperous New Year. May all your dreams come true.