Rabbi’s Column
How do we measure time? We live simultaneously by so many calendars: secular, fiscal, school, Jewish, seasonal, and others. Right now, we may be thinking of August as the end of summer leading to the start-up of school and activities. Simultaneously, we may be thinking of Elul, the Hebrew month immediately preceding the High Holy Days. Perhaps we think of it by name, perhaps by preparation.
We all know the joke that the Jewish holidays are always “early” or “late” and never “on time.” This is relative to the other calendars by which we live since per the Jewish calendar, the Jewish holidays are always on time. That’s why being in Israel is so powerful especially when holidays come along which of course includes Shabbat. School is off not for Christmas but for Chanukah and for the High Holy Days, Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot. Life and time go hand in hand.
Here, it is more of an effort to synchronize time and when we do, we get the best of both worlds. I invite you to use August/Elul as a prep month: for the next secular beginning and for Rosh HaShanah. It is a time to consider the person you are in real time and real places and begin this phase of your review and repentance process. It is a time to visit the graves of loved ones and if that isn’t feasible, to tell their stories and look at photos and remember how they lived their values. It is a time to review our own Books of Life and begin to frame the next chapter.