I know it’s Sukkot, but I’m still thinking about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been noticing the parallels and complimentary differences between the two new year periods of Pesach and Rosh Hashanah: namely that these two New Years are accompanied by celebrations of personal and communal renewal. In the spring, as a community we celebrate having been blessed and passed over by G-d. We count the Omer together, and every day for 49 days we contemplate and work on the seven aspects of seven Sephorim, Chesed through Malkut, until Shavuot when we’re obligated to indulge our freshly scrubbed egos together. This makes perfect sense because during the spring and summer we go outside more, It’s the time for socializing and producing, and so during the counting of the Omer we “polish” our facets that determine how we relate to and interact with the world we live in: mercy, strength, beauty, victory, splendor, foundation, and our kingdom. In the fall, we prepare for the winter. On Rosh Hashanah, each individual begins looking at themselves. We are given TEN days (10 days: 10 Sephirot) to review our previous year, acknowledge not just our communal shortcomings, but also our individual shortcomings in a striving towards teshuvah. How can an individual hope to truly return if their outward qualities are good but their basic understandings, knowledge, and/or will is not good? The ten days from Rosh Hashanah are a gift which provides us time work on our entire Human self: how we relate to our environment and emotions (Chesed through Malkut) AND those fundamental aspects of who and what we are - our understanding, knowledge, and will (Binah, Chokmah, and Kether). We deny our bodies sustenance and comfort which brings any discrepancies in these interior aspects to the surface for us to acknowledge. (Anyone who’s fasted for Yom Kippur can attest to how uncomfortable those final few hours can become, and how much of a struggle it can be to remain focused.) This is such an eloquent process, so beautifully constructed. I thank HaShem that I get to experience this with my family and community, and that we are given these gifts and opportunities every year. So, Shanah Tova, G'mar Hatima Tova, and Chag Sameach! 😊 מודה אני
לפניך מלך חי וקיים
שהחזרת בי נשמתי בחמלה
רבה אמונתך
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