D'var Torah

The 10 Days of Repentance, which ends tomorrow with Yom Kippur, seems like much more than 10 to me this year. Between Rosh Hashanah, the memorial events of the October 7^th anniversary, and now the preparations for Yom Kippur, it’s been a weighty time. I have also been on edge worrying about violence marking the Oct 7^thanniversary. Luckily, protests around the country did not get out of hand. With Yom Kippur beginning tomorrow evening, it seems like there is no time to breathe as we take in the heaviness of this holy day. In addition to atoning for our sins to God and ourselves, we also need to make time to apologize to those whom we’ve hurt during this past year. We can’t be forgiven for those sins until we ask directly to the people whom we’ve harmed. In addition, the liturgy of these holy days, thinking about “who shall live and who shall die” adds to the gravity and seriousness of this time. I don’t know about you, but for me, standing before you, praying that prayer, B’rosh Hashanah, has always been challenging, especially as my family members got older.

For several years, singing those words and looking at my aging parents in the pews has always been hard, wondering will they still be with us at the next High Holy Days. Sadly, after last Yom Kippur my father passed away. This year, his name will be read at our Yizkor service. I imagine some of you think about these things too, and so we need to balance the heaviness and for some, sadness, of the holy days with something less heavy and a little more uplifting. And so, if I’m describing you, please consider ending your Yom Kippur observance by joining us at our N’ilah service. For me, the N’ilah (concluding) service of Yom Kippur, Saturday at 6-7 pm, is that breath of relief that we need to end this sacred time. Not everyone comes to this because many people want to end their fast earlier and need to get to their Break-the-Fast parties. However, our tradition tells us we need light when gloom darkens our path. N’ilah can be that light.

The service is more uplifting that other Yom Kippur services, and it ends on an inspirational note, with the final blast of the T’kiah G’dolah and big, big music to let us leave feeling good about what we’ve just gone through and energized for the new year ahead. There is a different, more upbeat, feeling in the air at N’ilah as opposed to the sorrowful tones of Yizkor that precedes it. And, of course, we really let our hair down just 4 days later when we celebrate Sukkot and then Simchat Torah after that. Please consider joining us for these upbeat services this year.

I also want to share with you that on Yom Kippur morning, during our late service in the Sanctuary, we will be reading from a new Torah for our congregation. After my dad passed away last October, many of you made donations to the Senior Cantor’s Discretionary Fund in his memory. I wanted to use those donations to purchase another Torah for TRS in memory of my parents, who were so devoted to Judaism and Torah, and passed on that love to me and my siblings. The Torah I acquired was written in the Czech Republic in the 18^th or 19^thcenturies and has been restored by a local Sofer. I will be holding it during Kol Nidrei in the Social Hall Friday night, and we will be reading from it on Saturday. I’ve asked my brother and sister to join me in the Torah Aliyah for that moment as this Torah is used for the first time at Temple Rodef Shalom. In addition, the covers that I’ve acquired for it, are from my home congregation, Temple Emanuel, where my parents were very involved in the leadership, and my dad was a past president. May this new Torah, now the 9^th Torah for our congregation, not only find a new home at TRS, but inspire future generations in its words.