Elul
Very briefly, as you will be hearing from me over Shabbat and next Sunday. I want to invite you into an Elul journey.
Elul is understood to be a month of preparation for the next new moon – Rosh Hashanah. We traditionally take time to forgive ourselves for deeds we haven’t been willing to face into. We try to forgive others if they have hurt us, even if we have been unwilling to let go of that grain of hurt/sand, (even though usually we end up with a sore heart and not a pearl).
This Elul, while we do this work, I am offering another challenge. Today is 1 Elul. We count forward to 29 Elul. Let’s make an Elul jar, where we do some reckoning of ourselves as Jews. Each day write down a question you have, a fear or a failing you may feel, or write about a small gift you would like to bring us. Think about who you are in this lifetime, and ask yourself how you could bring more of who you are into these coming days. On Rosh Hashanah we will bring our scraps of paper and our scraps of selves to services. We will make a pile, mix them up, and then read through and discuss some of our thoughts.
“Before his death, Rabbi Zusya said “In the coming world, they will not ask me: ‘Why were you not Moses?’ They will ask me: ‘Why were you not Zusya?”
Chodesh tov, Shavua tov,
Rabbi Lynn
Shoftim
August 9, 2021 by Rabbi Lynn Greenhough • From the Rabbi's Desk • Tags: beit din, elul, judges, shoftim •
We are now in Elul – a month away from Rosh Hashanah, a time of looking into new beginnings, and a time of shedding past hurts and misunderstandings. A time to blow the shofar every morning (beginning Monday, except Shabbat), the plaintive wail of the shofar opening our hearts.
This Shabbat we welcome Katie Marr and Joshua Torontow to be called to Torah for the first time, an occasion of great spiritual joy and communal significance. Every time someone steps forward to stand with us, to join the people of Israel, it is also a time for each of us to re-assess our own standing. Katie and Joshua, we are very moved by your decision to join us.
Shoftim, our parashah this week, opens – “Judges and officers shall you appoint in all your cities…” Historically, in every Jewish community there was an autonomous self-governing court of judges, a Beit Din, that would sit and assess various cases, from misdemeanors to divorces. This week we had two judges, dayanim, who sat with me for a Beit Din for conversion for our two candidates.
But the judges must be worthy to sit on such a court, (as they most certainly are); “… you shall not show favouritism, and you shall not accept a bribe, for a bribe will blind the eyes of the wise and it will corrupt words that are just.”
Torah is teaching us in all our dealings, whether we sit on a Beit Din, or conduct our everyday business, we should be acting with righteousness. Tzedek, tzedek tirdof. Righteousness, righteousness, you shall pursue. Our rabbis teach us that as we approach hashamayim – Jewish heaven! – we will be asked an unusual question. Were you fair in all your business dealings?” In many ways virtually all of life is transactional. Our life is our business. This is a very high standard to uphold – thank goodness for Elul.
I wish all of us good health and meaningful reflections during this month as we come up to Rosh Hashanah.
Kein yihe ratzon,
Rabbi Lynn