Rabbi Janine's Messages

Dear Community, 

The summer is coming to it's (unofficial) end soon with Labor Day Weekend one week away. I always feel a bit of sadness around this time; the sun will soon be setting noticeably earlier and the time will come when we will be spending more hours inside than out. Of course, the truth is that I'm never sad for too long. Fall is my favorite season (Rosh Hashanah and round challah! Decorating the sukkah! Pumpkins and apple cider! Seeing the leaves change!) But for the last unofficial week of summer, I'll allow myself to indulge in bittersweet memories from Memorial Day 2024 of all the great plans we made for summer. There are still books left unread and places I haven't visited yet. We'll just say, there's always next year. 

If you could give a word or a theme to describe your summer this year, what would it be? Mine would be "change." And what a wonderful change it has been. Thank you again for all the ways you have welcomed me and my family to a new congregation and a new home. 

This week in Torah study we read a teaching from Rabbi Dov Bear, the Maggid of Medzeritch, saying that we should move through the world with an understanding of our own impermanence. In other words, life is always in flux and things are always changing. We are permanent travelers in this world, not perminent residents. A difficult lesson when we receive unwanted change and perhaps a comfort too. As we move through our lives, instead of holding on to things we cannot control, we can try to anchor ourselves to this understanding that nothing stays the same.

Change is all around us and also the idea of return. Teshuvah, the word of the High Holy Day season, which can be translated as a turning inward and repentance. These next few weeks as we head into Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, and the High Holy Day season, I will be speaking about teshuvah in our lives. I hope you will also join us for our online Elul morning sessions starting September 4. For more information please contact our Elul coordinator Betsy Stern at betsystern3@gmail.com 

WIshing you a peaceful and restful Shabbat, 

Rabbi Janine Jankovitz