As I sit down to write a column for the September issue of the Voice, I am thinking ahead to Rosh Hashanah and what it means. Rosh Hashanah, as we all know, is the Jewish New Year, the beginning of the month of Tishrei.
On this holiday we imagine Hashem is reviewing the behavior of all His subjects and decrees their fate for the coming year. We will blow the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, declaring that Hashem is our King and we are His devoted subjects. After all, Rosh Hashanah is a time of judgment, tempered with the great love Hashem has for His people.
One of the key preparations for this holiday is to ask for forgiveness from anyone we may have wronged during the previous year. And we do this to the greatest extent possible as we want to begin the year with a clean slate. However, if we were preparing for the secular New Year we would be making a resolution to commit to improving ourselves in the coming year. So why not combine the two traditions, bring our secular and spiritual practices together?
As part of one’s quest for forgiveness let’s add the quest of “to give more”. After all, there is more to Judaism than the spirituality words in our siddurims. Judaism offers us a peoplehood. Becoming involved and giving of one’s time, energy and talents to their peoplehood is another avenue toward connecting with one’s Judaism.
Ahavas Israel needs more volunteers, more idea generators, and new energy. There are several committees that could use more active members. The time commitment varies depending on the committee and your personal schedules. The list of committees is actually quite diverse:
- Building and Grounds (landscape, security and maintenance projects)
- Cemetery and Chevre Kadisha (operates and maintains the two cemeteries and observes religious ritual prior to burial)
- Education (pertaining to Judaic studies)
- Finance committee
- Library
- Membership (reaches out to potential members and welcomes new ones)
- Religious Life
- Scholarship Awards
- Archives
- Social Action
- Havurah
- Sunshine
There are also other smaller ad hoc committees that could use your help. The best thing to do is reach out to the office, Rabbi or President. Let us know what activities you enjoy doing or what talent you may have that may also benefit a committee.
“MY ROSH HASHANAH RESOLUTION IS TO JOIN_________ COMMITTEE”!
Shanah Tova!
Ann Berman