Start Here for a Sweet New Year
Fall is hands-down my favorite season. Perhaps it’s because autumn weather is so different from Miami (where I was born and raised). The crispness in the air, the changing leaves, getting apples and pumpkins from a field and not a Publix…these were all exotic and exciting to me as a kid, and they continue to delight me as an adult.
Add in the many Jewish holidays that create a sense of community while celebrating, and how can any other season even hope to compete?
As we begin our season of celebration with Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), starting Friday, September 15th at sundown, we conclude a month of reflection and introspection and start looking forward to what we can improve on in the year ahead. Just as we marvel at the beautiful changing colors of the leaves rather than mourning the loss of green, we can embrace the changes in our lives in this new year. I hope you and your family can take a moment to appreciate these wonderful changes (the Jewish value for this is hakarat hatov, “recognizing the good”) by pausing to notice them and perhaps by naming them, saying the Shehecheyanu (a prayer of appreciation), or in your family’s own way.
To help you celebrate these many fall holidays, we have wonderful programs planned with our PJ Library Community Partners. Check out the list for one that works for your family.
And if you did not receive a copy of A Time to Grow: PJ Library’s Guide to the Fall Holidays, you can download it in four languages or purchase a copy. This lovely guide provides ways you can help your children prepare for and participate in the holidays.
Shanah Tovah U’Metuka (a good and sweet year),
Sarah
Additional Resources
- Family-Friendly High Holiday Events and Services
- A Time to Grow: PJ Library’s Guide to the Fall Holidays
- PJ Library Holiday Hubs: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah.