Be Kind and Rewind—a phrase that will make less sense the further and further we get from the days of cassettes tapes and VHS, except when it comes to Torah! In the very digital age in which we live, we still wind and rewind the Torah the same way as our ancestors have done for thousands of years. Just as we watch and rewatch our favorite shows and movies, or read and reread classic books, Simchat Torah is our yearly reminder that there is no limit to the number of times we can learn from the same text. Even though the text remains the same, we change every time we read it.
Every Saturday morning we hold up the Torah like a prism through which we view our world and ourselves. That’s the eternal gift of Torah—no matter the number of times that we read the text, we see something new with each glance. Maybe you’re feeling stuck in a rut because of the burden that comes with COVID. Or, maybe you’re exhausted from the neverending news cycle. Or, perhaps you’ve always wanted to revisit the Jewish education that you’ve put on a proverbial nightstand for too long. This Shabbat is a perfect place to begin!
Tomorrow night, join your clergy as we take a brief tour of Torah during Friday night Shabbat services. Then, on Saturday morning, delve into the depths of Torah with Rabbi Spike at Torah study (9am). This is an invitation for everyone: whether you have been learning about Judaism your whole life; or this Shabbat is the first in a long time that you’ve wanted to start learning again; or you want to start from the very beginning—as Julie Andrews once sang in the Sound of Music—it’s a very good place to start!
We look forward to learning with you in this new year of Torah as we rewind our sacred scroll to the very beginning!
Elliot Siegel says
So true – thanks for this insight.