Did you hear
that?
The sound of the ram’s horn is sharp. It is like no other sound.
It pierces the armor of the heart.
It calls us
to pay attention to our relationship with the Divine.
It calls us
to be in Right relations with ourselves and all others.
It calls us to reflect and
repent for our shortcomings
and wrongful deeds as we enter a new year.
The Jewish New Year – also known as Rosh Hashanah
began at sunset on September 6 –
the day that I actually wrote these words.
So, I was called on what little bit of Jewish heritage I can claim
from my long ago Altman ancestors and searched for the lessons
that we, as Unitarian Universalists, can learn from this Holy Day
and the following Holy
Days, sometimes called
“The Days of Awe” which are
upon us.
As a refresher for some of you – and perhaps a new lesson for
others,
I’ll take some time to go in
more detail
than our children’s story about these Holy Days.
Rosh Hashanah meaning
"head [of] the year", is the Jewish New Year. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom
Teruah,
literally "day of shouting or blasting",
and is also more commonly known in English as the Feast of
Trumpets.
It is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days specified by
Leviticus 23:23–32
that occur in the early
autumn of the Northern Hemisphere.
Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the civil year,
according to the teachings of Judaism, and is the traditional
anniversary
of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman
according to the Hebrew Bible,
and the inauguration of humanity's role in God's world.
Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar
(a cleaned-out ram's horn), following the prescription of the
Hebrew Bible to "raise a noise" on Yom Teruah.
Its rabbinical customs include attending synagogue services
and reciting special liturgy, as well as enjoying festive meals.
Eating symbolic foods is now a tradition, such as apples dipped in
honey,
hoping to evoke a sweet new year.
We say Shanah Tovar to wish others a good and sweet year.
But like other Jewish words,
it takes often takes a paragraph to truly explain the whole
meaning.
It’s not just a substitute for our “Happy New Year.”
No, there is deeper meaning.
Shanah Tovar implies
a return to our truest and best selves.
It is a journey of rediscovery requiring
an inward reflective gaze
of self-evaluation.
Indeed, we are called to look at the sins
we have committed this past year.
In our prelude, the group Six 13 sings,
I’m starting over. I’m
looking back.
Cause I’ve done things that I’m not proud of
In this year we’re coming out of
Now’s a time for introspection
Time to forge a new direction
Decide who I want to be
A brand-new year, a brand new me.
You may say – well, that’s kind of like making New Year’s
Resolutions –
but it’s more than that.
If folks truly do their reflections during those 10 Days of Awe –
then they look at who they may have hurt
through things done or left undone –
or how they have hurt themselves –
and they prepare for that day of Yom Kippur –
also known as the Day of Atonement –
when they can forgive themselves and each other
and begin again in love.
So, as I wrote these words at 5:00 pm on September 6 –
knowing that Rosh Hashanah was arriving at sundown,
I knew if I were going to take this seriously, I needed to make a
big shift.
You see, recently – I have felt like the Prophet crying out to
people – telling them how they have sinned – how they have “missed the mark.”
I say to the workman who made a home repair for me:
“Why aren’t you
vaccinated? You need to protect
yourselves and others.
It’s not good for you to go unvaccinated.”
I said to the Bulloch County school board.
“You are not protecting our
school personnel and children.
Your lack of actions has
put our community in crisis.”
I complain to my grandsons:
“You have got responsibilities
and you need to organize yourselves better.”
I tell my mom,
“You should not answer the door at 9 pm
when you are here home alone.”
I tell my husband, “Move over, quit hogging the bed.”
I yell at the Texas lawmakers on TV – well, I better not say that
in church.
I mean – I’ve been on a tear sharing with others how they miss the
mark.
But today – it’s not about them.
“It’s me, standing in the need of prayer.”
I don’t need to confess everything to you folks,
I do need to take stock, and recognize, that I have work to
do.
I have folks I need to reconnect with - somehow -- ?
So, during these days of awe,
I’ve been reflecting a
little more on MY part.
That’s an important part of what folks do
when they are in 12 step programs.
They take a look at their
resentments –
and then ask –well, what’s my part in this?
And even though others may have done some harmful things,
there are probably things
we need to hold ourselves accountable for.
And if there are things we can do
that will help repair what we have done, we need to do that.
Sometimes, there may not be anything we can do.
And we have to accept that as well.
These
holy days are not only a time to take stock –
but
it’s a time to let go of the past with its associated pain
so that one can embrace a future of
goodness.
We
can look at where we are – and contrast it with
where
or who we want to be. Setting good
intentions.
And
this pandemic – being such a liminal time for us anyway –
may
be the best time to contemplate what was and what might be.
This
can be that time between summer and fall;
regret and repentance; guilt and renewal.
According
to Jewish teachings, the “Book of Life” is open but once a year
and remains so only during the Days of
Awe.
This
is the time for truth telling and forgiveness.
And
then the book is closed – the door is closed –
and
some believe you have to drag this heavy stuff
around
for another year.
Of
course, I do not believe there is a time frame
for
this kind of self-reflection.
But
I can understand why folks have these special days and special rituals
to call them to this special time. Otherwise – it may go undone.
This
is just one of the ageless and timeless stories
of humanities yearnings for connection.
It is a time of repentance and more
importantly forgiveness.
It is our passage from brokenness into
wholeness and blessing.
Rev.
Paul Daniels states that
“The
only whole heart is the broken and wounded one.
Atonement
is in a word an At-One-Mint with humanity and the Holy.”
The
door is open –
challenging
us to begin again in love and walk through that door of hope.
As
our online choir sang
Be
the change you want to see in the world
Be
the voice you want to hear in the world
Be
the light you want to shine in the world
And
change will come to you.
Shanah
Tovah, dear ones!
May
you have a Good and Sweet Year.
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