Saturday, September 27, 2003

Shanah Tovah!!! Happy New Year to all of you who know no Hebrew. I went to a wonderful day of services and learning outside. The weather cooperated, cool and clear. A little muddy from the rain yesterday. This holiday reminded me why I converted to Judaism. Rosh Hashanah marks the new year on the Hebrew calendar. Since it fell on the Sabbath, the Torah parsha (reading) begins all over at Genesis. Rosh Hashanah is a day to look inward, expose your sins and start your life afresh. As Joel said 'rend your heart'. We studied some fragments of the prophetic writings including Ezekial and Joel, that have a focus on repentence (though the Hebrew word for repentence, teshuvah, is never mentioned in the Torah.) These writers mentioned many things one must do to repent and find favor in the eyes of G_d. One speaks of repenting as a community, one as an individual. One speaks of repenting via return to ritual, another via doing good acts for the orphan and the widow. This discussion reminded me that Judaism is about freedom: the freedom in this case to choose your individual path to repent and return to G_d. 8:07:16 PM