It seems that, no matter how early or late Rosh Hashanah arrives, it
always manages to take me by surprise. Even if I know for weeks before
it that it is coming, and I plan out schedules accordingly, every year,
when I find myself sitting in Rosh Hashanah services for the first time,
it is as if I have been plucked out of my regular life and transplanted
there. I sit sort of "deer in the headlights" for a bit, while the
clergy talk about reflecting on the past year and clearing your mind to
examine what you could do better. Then, at some point along the way, I
let myself go with it, and open myself to some real reflection and to
the religion and community that surround me.
The problem is, by the time I really get to that place, the whole thing
is often almost over, and then I am plucked out of there and
transplanted back to my regular life, where, try as I might, I cannot
really incorporate the things that I discovered as I sat there letting
myself go with the emotion of the Rosh Hashanah services.
So, how is it that I'm supposed to make this Jewish New Year celebration
more than just a blip of calm in an otherwise crazy life, much less,
make it meaningful not just to me, but to my kids?
I'm used to wrapping up my blog posts with a resolution of sorts--what
I'm planning to do going forward, or suggestions for what my readers can
do. But tonight, as I ponder the warmth that I still feel from just a
handful of hours at Rosh Hashanah services, I'm stumped as to what that
resolution should be. I can tell that the year coming up will have
challenges that will beg for some kind of reflection-produced wisdom,
yet, I am pretty sure that by next week, or maybe even tomorrow, the wisdom and the reflection that brought it about today will be long gone.
Is that what a holiday should be--just a blip in the middle of
things? Or should it be an experience that somehow stays with you and carries you
forward? I'm taking suggestions now, which is somewhat appropriate, since part of today was about being a member of a community....
Happy New Year. Again.
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