|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rabbi's Message
September 6, 2024
3 Elul 5784
PARASHAT SHOTFTIM
Deuteronomy 16:18 - 21:9
Dear Friends,
For the last year we have been engaged in looking at the intersection of the spirit and that which we call science, through our grant from Scientists in Synagogues. As we come to the end of the Jewish year and the life of our grant, it is a good moment to pause and reflect upon what we have learned, or at the very least what I have learned through this process.
Working and studying with the three scientists within our community (Dr. Farnoush Safavi, Dr. Daniel Wolf Savin, and Howie Waldman) has alleviated some of my sense of incompetence when it comes to the sciences. Even more then learning about their three distinct disciplines, they reminded me through their presentations that the search for knowledge is a never-ending process and one that demands respect of the subject or area that one is exploring.
From a Jewish perspective, why is this such an important lesson? It is the sense that the final destination is just out of reach and demands that we grapple and wrestle with the data that we have thus far and try to find a systemic approach to uncovering its secrets.
Mitzvah of the Week
We have entered the month of Elul, the month that gives us an opportunity to prepare for the new year ahead. It is an interesting idea to prepare for something when we do not fully comprehend what awaits us in the coming year, in the same way that this past year was filled with the unexpected in both positive and negative ways.
What is this idea of preparation all about? It can be seen as a spiritual exercise routine that will aid us in the year ahead as we are sure to confront the unexpected. For some this preparation is all about the High Holidays and examining our behavior from the past year as we prepare for the new year.
With all of this in mind, I invite you to use the month of Elul to awaken your soul, to listen for the sound of the shofar each morning in the synagogues in our neighborhood, and let it awaken within each of us. If you do not have the opportunity to hear the shofar during the month of Elul, I encourage you to choose a piece of music that speaks to your innermost self and play it during this month as you prepare for the year ahead. And if you wish, share your playlist so we can share it with others. For some of us, the way we open ourselves is through the visual. If so, find a piece that allows you to reflect in much the same way.
Elul is traditionally a time of introspection and personal stock-taking, known in Hebrew as cheshbon hanefesh — literally, “an accounting of the soul.” And what better way to open the heart to reflection than use the arts as an opening.
Please share your discoveries if you find it meaningful to do so.
| Oseh shalom bimromav, hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu ve'al kol Israel, ve'imru, Amen. |
| May the One who makes peace in the heavens, make peace for us all and all the people of Israel. |
 |
