As Days Are Waning
The new year starts as days are waning.
I'm never ready when the first leaves turn.
Every Jewish day begins with evening:
darkness before light, since the beginning.
I'm never ready when the first leaves turn.
Roll the scroll toward the end of our story:
darkness before light since the beginning.
Am I ready to turn and face what's coming?
Roll the scroll toward the end of our story –
can I open my hands and let go of the summer?
Am I ready to turn and face what's coming?
You know what they say about endings.
I open my hands and let go of the summer,
paint every cracked and broken place with gold.
You know what they say about endings:
turn the page, start a chapter, begin again.
Paint every cracked and broken place with gold!
Every Jewish day begins with evening:
turn the page, start a chapter, begin again.
The new year starts as days are waning.
(Rabbi Rachel Barenblat, 2018, https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/elul/)
The summer and vacation might already feel like a distant memory but nonetheless, welcome back to the Chavurah and soon a new year.
School has begun for many, backpacks and lunch bags are once again part of the daily routine. Older teens and young adults are setting off for university and living away from their parents, sometimes for the first time, and they will be waved off with trepidation. Though they will be physically far removed from us, the Chavurah keeps in contact with them during the year, sending small gifts and messages. If you would like your young person to receive these, remember to email Naomi with their new information.
This time of the year is also a popular time for new relationships, and we have celebrated two weddings already this summer. It has been a blessing to be able to celebrate so much simcha (joy) with members of the community.
We are now in Elul, the month of preparation that leads into Rosh Hashanah. Slowly the mood shifts, and we adjust to the rhythm of the High Holy Days. The singing group are practising the special melodies we use only this time of the year, Hebrew readers are learning the Torah portions, the committee is organising all the practical issues, the Chaverim students will be thinking about and discussing teshuva and hopes for the new year.
The change in the seasons (the rain is pouring down as I write this), the autumnal smells you can catch in the early morning, reminds us that summer is rapidly disappearing, and that now is a good time to take stock and to reflect on our lives.