Dear Seattle Community,

Earlier this week, I was listening to an episode of Dan Senor’s podcast, Call Me Back, where he had a conversation with Rachel Goldberg-Polin about the Days of Awe. In addition to being an inspirational Jewish leader in so many ways, Rachel is also an outstanding Jewish educator. While we often talk about Rosh Hashanah as the Jewish new year, Rachel reminded listeners that when the holiday is first mentioned in the Torah, it doesn’t say anything about it marking a new year. In fact, that happened much later when the Talmud was codified. The original mention of the holiday in the Torah is God speaking to Moses:

“Speak to the Israelite people thus: In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe complete rest, a memorial proclaimed with the blasts of horns” (Leviticus 23:24)

There are three components to the holiday when it is mentioned: rest, memorial, and the sounds of the shofar (ram’s horn). I’ve always been moved by the sound of the shofar – my bar mitzvah gift from my parents was a shofar that is still displayed in my living room year-round. In the podcast, Rachel taught us that each of the three distinct sounds of the shofar serves to awaken something different in us: acknowledging there is something bigger than ourselves, our souls sobbing or crying out, and an alarm clock for the soul. 

It’s hard to know what to put in a Rosh Hashanah greeting as we approach the end of 5785 and turn the page to a new year. We are living in a time when so much in our Jewish world – and the world at large – feels broken. The meaning of the sounds of the shofar that Rachel beautifully described feels particularly relevant today. At a time when there is significant pain and deep divisions, we are left wondering what the year ahead will hold. Will it be a good year of sweetness as we so deeply pray for, or will we see the challenges we face only worsen? 

As we enter the period of the high holidays and celebrate Rosh Hashanah, I hope that each of us can find time for the components mentioned in the original text: time to rest, time to remember, and time to listen to the sounds of the shofar. And may we carry that into the year ahead – finding opportunities to care for ourselves, to remember who we are and where we come from, and time to listen to the sounds around us. 

Together, with hope, we can make the year ahead a sweet one.

Shanah tovah u’metukah – may you and your family have a good and sweet year ahead,