Start the Jewish New Year off on a HIGH
Now is the time of year on the Jewish calendar when all our missed opportunities, unrealized initiatives, and general human failings are surfaced for review. The fall High Holidays include Rosh Hashanah, the new lunar year counting up from creation; Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement when we reflect on the past year and seek forgiveness for our misdeeds; and Sukkot, the Festival of Booths commemorating God's protection after the redemption of the exodus, and expressing thanksgiving for the fall harvest. There are sites around Washington that may be particularly appropriate places to visit during this season, where you can contemplate the important themes that are related to each of these holidays.
A central theme on Rosh Hashanah is that it is the time that the world, and humanity, is judged and their behavior is assessed. We attribute the role of Ultimate Judge to God- and if you think that judging or seeking justice is easy, visit the Supreme Court and sit in on a few sessions (www.supremecourtus.gov). Later, over dinner, watch “Gideon’s Trumpet,” the true story of how Abe Fortas as a young attorney helped an itinerant worker get legal counsel. Abe Fortas later served on the Supreme Court. “Twelve Angry Men” and “To Kill A Mockingbird” can fill the week leading to Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is also called “the birthday of the world.” You can celebrate the work of creation at the Rock Creek Nature Center(www.nps.gov/rocr). From fish feedings, to beehive watching, to star gazing in the planetarium, you can regain your sense of wonder during the “days of awe.”
Yom Kippur is a time for meditation and reflection. Bring your favorite readings from the Yom Kippur prayer book to a walk down Embassy Row. Think about the great potential that societies have to do good, and what your individual role can be. Enter Normanstone Park on Massachusetts Avenue between 30th-34th, and look for the Kahlil Gibran Memorial Garden. The benches and fountains and the quotations from the author of “The Prophet” may help you compose a few personal New Years resolutions. The Constitution Gardens and Reflecting Pool is another great place to take stock of your life over the past
year.
On Sukkot we can experience the difference between a solid building and a temporary structure. We would like to think of our lives as solid as a brick house, but the truth is that life is as fragile as a booth open to the elements. For that reason we are asked to build a Sukkah booth and experience that difference. Start your experience at the National Building Museum (www.nbm.org), where the great hall can take your breath away with its grandeur, and the exhibits show the challenges of urban planning. Then make plans to volunteer with organizations that help those who need shelter and temporary housing. Yachad (http://yachad-dc.org) mobilizes the resources of the Washington area Jewish community to repair and rebuild lower-income neighborhoods. They are famous for their “Sukkot in Spring” home repair service days. You can make a New Year’s resolution to participate in the Help The Homeless Walkathon on November 19th, sponsored by the Community for Creative Non-Violence (http://theccnv.org). The fall holidays have themes that are important to us all year long, and the Washington area has sites and activities that can put the “high” in your High Holiday season.
*Content provided by the Partnership for Jewish Life and Learning
May you have a sweet year...L’shanah tovah from your
friends at Jconnect.