L'Shana Tovah...well, sorta
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Okay, so it's not really new year. New Year was 7 months ago. What we're really celebrating is the fact that the minyan finally reached a mutual agreement on the date. (*BA DA CHING!* Jewish Joke Alert!)
I love being a part of Am Yisrael. I can't say it enough. Lately, blog posts have been few and far between because my Internet went down and, quite frankly, I got tired of arguing my way up the customer service ladder, so I decided to take a break from being online. But that doesn't mean I've taken a break from being Jewish. One of the great things about knowing that you're a part of G-d's inheritance is that no matter where you are, or who you are with, or what you're doing, you are constantly being reminded of the fact that you are part of Am Yisrael. Christians (and, I suppose, members of other religious sects as well) always associate their religious or spiritual identity with the number of times they go to church or hang out in their youth group or volunteer for a Sunday supper; when you're a Jew, you don't derive your identity from a weekly visit to shul or the group you spend your free time with. Judaism is a verb, an action that takes place every time you make a choice-- what to eat, how to dress, what to do, and whom to do it with-- all of this is Torah made visible to the world around you. Every action is a testimony to the Living G-d.
Yom Teruah begins in a little over an hour for me. It is the shofar's call to repentance and reflection, the start of the Ten Days of Awe leading up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. I could insert some comment in here about reflecting upon your actions over the past year and questioning their veracity in light of Torah, but that's not my job: "Judge not, lest you be judged." Nor is it my job to use the High Holy Days as a reason to guilt people into donating money: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's." Nor is it my job to use G-d's commanded festivals as a platform for harassing slackers into showing up to shul more often: "For what I desire is mercy, not sacrifices, knowledge of God more than burnt offerings." What I can do, however, is quote to you what I think will help you in your own personal time of reflection during this season of awe:Be still and know that I Am G-d.
Watch the sunrise and know that your trust has made you a part of this perfect creation. Look at the misery around you and know that your trust has spared you from the path that leads to death. Observe the mountain before you-- whether it is physical, or spiritual-- and know that your trust will see you to the top of it and down into the valley on the other side. Know and comprehend that you have been given the greatest gift- the ability to choose life over death, blessing over curse- and that every choice you make is a choice that possesses the potential to lead you closer to the one and only G-d who wants to dwell with you. Seek to know Him, because in knowing Him you will begin to know who you are and what that means to the rest of your days on this earth. Fall in love with Him and you will fall in love with yourself, because you will be loving His Ruach within you, and trust that, "He who is within you is greater than he who is in the world."
Know who you are, Israel. Seek to know, you Princes of G-d, exactly who your ruler is. Only then will you be able to know and fulfill His destiny for you.
"Rather, you people are to be holy for Me; because I, ADONAI, am holy; and I have set you apart from the other peoples, so that you can belong to Me." Leviticus 20:26
"Furthermore, we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called in accordance with his purpose; because those whom he knew in advance, he also determined in advance would be conformed to the pattern of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers; and those whom he thus determined in advance, he also called; and those whom he called, he also caused to be considered righteous; and those whom he caused to be considered righteous he also glorified!" Romans 8:28-30
Labels: Israel, Jewish, Judaism, Messianic Judaism, Rosh HaShanah
posted by Shoshana @ 6:05 PM
