Shabbat Blast

From Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein
Friday, October 1, 2021

Dear CBO family,

Whoever grouped the High Holidays in such a cluster definitely was not a congregational rabbi, cantor, or president. There is a T-shirt that is favored among clergy. Mine says: “Rabbis ❤️ Cheshvan,” the Jewish month which begins on October 6th, this coming week. The month of Cheshvan has no holidays in it. While I may proudly wear my T-shirt, there is still an aspect of this sentiment that bothers me.

There is no other time during the year where the whole community is here like the High Holidays. Think of it like this. When during the year is your whole family all in one place? Maybe for you it is Thanksgiving, Chanukah, or over the summer. For a synagogue, that moment lies in the first day of Rosh Hashanah or during Yom Kippur day and there is something magical about this.
 
This coming weekend I will have one of those life moments at our wedding when the whole family is together. Covid-19 complicates this matter, but then again we know that when man plans, God laughs. This is not restricted to pandemics. While a great deal of preparation goes into the holidays as with a wedding, a bar/bat mitzvah or any other celebration, and you may enjoy when the stress is over, all you want is for the joy to linger, for you to feel the togetherness so strongly that it lasts until the next time you can be together like this again. There is a withdrawal that happens after these potent moments subside. So how do we take the joy and togetherness with us?
 
I propose that a fair bit of optimism is necessary. The optimism is that joy beyond your wildest dreams is in your future. You may not even be able to comprehend what lies in store, but there is a faith and a belief that we cannot predict the future. The human mind tends to catastrophize, but the Jewish tradition is cyclical for a reason. It tells you that while life can be unpredictable there will continue to be great reasons to celebrate beyond what you can conjure in your mind today. Celebrate today and know that there will be more celebrations in the future.
 
For those who will be joining us for the Auf Ruf, we cannot wait to celebrate this major life moment with you and may we all go from strength to strength.
 
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Bernstein

CANDLE LIGHTING
Friday, October 1 at 6:17 PM

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