The path starts here
The path starts here
Dear friends,
The month of Elul began on Sunday, inviting us to take stock of our lives, the year that past and the present moment. As always, each of us has a lot to think about personally, where we’ve strayed, where we’ve gone wrong, where we want to improve and where we can return to ourselves. And the world around us, which we participate in even when we try not to is in dire need of repair. The Jewish people are, this year more than most, in dire need of self-examination, recommitment to our guiding values and repentance.
Today I sat in prayer during Tachanun, the daily repentance prayers, and was overcome by tears: I am not doing enough. I am letting the disaster continue. Gaza has been destroyed, its people starved or killed, and I keep going about my life. Is the hostage Evyatar David even still alive? At a shiva earlier this week I heard an elderly Jew say: “I saw pictures of emaciated children in Gaza. It is unbelievable that the Jews, only a few decades after what the Germans did to us, are starving and murdering children.” We are killing Palestinians, and we are killing our own brothers held hostage in Gaza suffering from the same famine. “Down in the bible belt,” the old Jew continued, “they’re going to be telling each other – look what those Jews did. If you’re worried about antisemitism now, just wait til that attitude takes over.”
This month is given to us as a gift to bring ourselves back into balance so we can walk down the path of sanity and goodness the rest of the year; so we can look not only at the surface of our problems but dig at what is behind them. The state of the world is not the product of one person or one issue or one event. We are on a continuum that began long before we were born, and touches upon our general health or illness in every aspect of our lives. Similarly, the personal problems we face are the external shell of deep oceans of internal happenings that began in the womb.
As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, one way our people have found to center ourselves is through the practice of different types of fasts.
This Elul, I’d like to invite you to join me in whichever of the following fasts and intention settings you can. Some you can do on your own, others will be enhanced by communal moments over the course of the month.
Thursday, September 4th please join me in a shopping fast. Simply stated: DON’T BUY ANYTHING.
Thursday, September 11th, please join me in a memorial fast on this sad, holy day. I will refrain from food from sunrise to sunset, though I do plan to drink. Then, that evening at 6pm I invite you to join me at Prospect Park for an informal Slichot gathering. I think it is important that we see each other before the High Holidays, so the main purpose will be to hang out, meet new people and picnic. And we will also sing some traditional slichot songs on the grass by Grand Army Plaza. (everyone is invited whether or not you’ve fasted!)
Saturday morning, September 13th will be a Shabbat gathering in Brooklyn, which will include Kika’s Bat Mitzvah. Joy is maybe the single most important piece of our repentance puzzle.
Thursday, September 18th please join me for a news fast: No news for 24 hours.
Friday, September 19th please join me for a speech fast. We will gather on Zoom at 9am for a meditation and morning study, where I will explain that this type of fast does not mean you refrain from speaking the entire day, but that you limit your speech only to divine purposes, including prayer, study and caring for others. No chit chat, no talking about politics. Think about it as a Mikvah, or ritual bath for your tongue. (again, everyone invited even if they don't plan on fasting.)
Sunday, September 21st, please join me at 4pm for the weekly Israelis for Peace protest in Union Square to call for an end to the war and return of the hostages. The speakers that day will be powerful. May Pundak and Dr Rula Hardal are the Israeli and Palestinian women running the organization A Land for All.
My hope is that by September 22nd, when the new year begins, we will come ready to dive into the Days of Awe together with awareness and love.
Please sign up for the gathering events HERE. And please write to me to let me know if you will be joining any of the fasts, and what impact they had on you.
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Misha