There’s a book that sits on my shelf year-round, standing out for its bright white binding with big, bold, black letters. It’s called This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation. More than the content that fills the pages of this book, I’m constantly struck by, and aware of the title. I know the High Holy Days are real, but I’m not completely unprepared. That said, before the book went on my shelf, I was definitely unprepared, and yet the book can now sit on my shelf and no longer represent what I do not know. Rather, the book stands as a reminder of growth and transformation. That’s what the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, are all about. This is our chance for growth and transformation. Our tradition elevates these days so that our words mean more now than they do any other time of the year.  Our requests for forgiveness are spiritually higher than the days that exist outside of this liminal timeframe. We are more open to and … [Read more...]

Anyone who has danced, played a sport, exercised at the gym, or sang more than one song knows that the body needs to be warmed up. We need to stretch ourselves, get our heart beating, and most importantly, focus our mind. From elite athletes and professional performing artists to the very amateur among us, no one would dare run a marathon without weeks or months of preparation, no one would sing in a choir or perform in a band without practicing the songs every day, and no one would attempt to climb Mt. Everest without first taking a few practice hikes. Our approach to the intense High Holy Days is no different. We need to have a warm-up regimen for these days. Talk, Breathe, and Read, three things each of us can and should do before, during, and after High Holy Day services. Talk: Find those precious moments with your loved ones, friends and family alike, to talk about what your goals are for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur; talk about what your goals are for the new year; lastly, talk … [Read more...]

There are various collections of vignettes that Rabbis utilize to prepare themselves for the High Holidays. Like all the good rabbi stories, the one that I’d like to share with you has layers of meaning. As you read this, and digest it, see if you can get below the surface. ‘In the old country (where all these stories seem to take place), the synagogue was packed for Kol Nidre, the night that begins Yom Kippur.  When the pews were filled, and the sun had set, the congregation was ready to begin.  But there was a problem.  The Rabbi was not there. “Can you believe the Rabbi is late,” said one woman. “I hope that he is ok, and that nothing has gone wrong,” said another. Ten minutes, twenty minutes…an hour went by with the congregation waiting, and getting more and more concerned about his well-being. Finally, two of the teenagers who had been sent out to find him came into the shul, brushing winter snow from their coats.  “We found him!” they announced. “Nu?” the … [Read more...]

For the past eight days, I have been in Israel accompanying my first group from Honeymoon Israel. This trip has been an eye-opening experience. Together with seventeen couples from around the Atlanta area, we have traveled from Tel Aviv to the Golan Heights, and now we are ending our trip this Shabbat in the Eternal City, Jerusalem. Every time I come to Israel I enter with new goals, and I leave with a new perspective—this trip is no exception. I was accustomed to the familiar sites: the beaches of Tel Aviv, the natural beauty of the Hula Valley, and the golden stones of Jerusalem. However, nothing could prepare me to see this land through the eyes of this Honeymoon Israel community—most of whom have never been to Israel before. To frame our experience, we opened our first Shabbat in Tel Aviv with a poem by my favorite Israel poet, Yehuda Amichai. His poem, Tourists, describes a tour group in Jerusalem whose guide asks them to focus on the ancient Roman-era artifacts rather than the … [Read more...]

Marita and I recently took a 36 hour mission to the Arizona-Mexico border to see ‘the immigration issue’ with our own eyes. We privately toured with the U.S. Border Patrol, visited with families as they were released from Detention Centers, and spent time in a Detention Center hearing stories that I will never forget. We traveled to Arizona at our own expense because we felt a raw need to know…beyond what the various news coverage might tell us.  We were compelled to witness because issues of immigration are a real-time juxtaposition of ethics, politics, and Jewish values with very real consequences to our identity, and of our collective soul. One of the most famous lines from Torah is spoken by Cain to God after fratricide.  God asks Cain about his (dead) brother Abel, to which Cain famously retorts, “Am I my brother’s keeper”” (Genesis 4:9) From this, our sages pose the questions of who are our brothers and sisters, and who is not?  Can we ‘keep’ everyone like a … [Read more...]