Seven long weeks ago, we opened the month of Elul with the sound of the shofar; this morning we ushered out the period of repentance by walking seven circles and beating willow branches against the floor. Today is the last day to ask for forgiveness, a subtle reflection of Yom Kippur, when we acknowledge for a final time this season the fragility of our lives:
קול מבשר, מבשר ואומר
Qol mevasser, mevasser ve-omer.
The voice of the prophet rings out, proclaiming good news of peace and deliverance
As the leaves fall off the beaten willow branches, we listen closely for that prophetic voice, heralding the return to normalcy and the end of the holidays. The lulav and etrog are no longer holy ritual objects; they return to being a fragrant citrus fruit and bunches of leaves. So too do we return to our normal selves, restoring the routine working and learning, of loving and toiling, of six mundane days and then Shabbat.
All that remains now is the joy of celebrating with the Torah as we roll her back to the beginning, and the cycle is complete. Hag sameah!
(And, utilizing the electronic "Hoshana Rabba extension," if there is anything I might have done to hurt a reader of this blog in the past year, intentionally or unintentionally, will you forgive me?)
Showing posts with label Hoshana Rabba. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hoshana Rabba. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Teshuvah Day 6: How much time do you need to change?
"You know," I was saying to myself the other day, "Yom Kippur simply is not long enough. Muslims fast for a whole month during Ramadan. That's a whole month of repentance, 30 days of painful introspection and the opportunity to change one's behavior. We have only one day."
Then I reconsidered. It is true that there is only one major fast day during the year when we plead our case before God and, according to the Torah, practice self-denial:
וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם
Ve-initem et nafshoteikhem
You shall afflict your souls (Numbers 29:7).
The tenth day of the month of Tishrei is set aside for suffering, for asking ourselves the really hard questions.
But that's just the Torah. The rabbis understood that teshuvah / repentance literally can't happen overnight. As such, we have been sounding the shofar, reciting Psalm 27, and doing heshbon ha-nefesh / inventory of the soul since the beginning of Elul. Furthermore, the opportunity to ask others for forgiveness continues all the way until Hoshana Rabba, the 7th day of Sukkot.
OK, so it's not fasting every day for a month. But there are no fewer than 50 days out of the year during which we should be thinking about self-transformation. If we take this seriously, if we focus our energy on introspection and teshuvah, we have ample opportunity for change.
Gemar hatimah tovah! May you be sealed for a good year.
Then I reconsidered. It is true that there is only one major fast day during the year when we plead our case before God and, according to the Torah, practice self-denial:
וְעִנִּיתֶם אֶת-נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם
Ve-initem et nafshoteikhem
You shall afflict your souls (Numbers 29:7).
The tenth day of the month of Tishrei is set aside for suffering, for asking ourselves the really hard questions.
But that's just the Torah. The rabbis understood that teshuvah / repentance literally can't happen overnight. As such, we have been sounding the shofar, reciting Psalm 27, and doing heshbon ha-nefesh / inventory of the soul since the beginning of Elul. Furthermore, the opportunity to ask others for forgiveness continues all the way until Hoshana Rabba, the 7th day of Sukkot.
OK, so it's not fasting every day for a month. But there are no fewer than 50 days out of the year during which we should be thinking about self-transformation. If we take this seriously, if we focus our energy on introspection and teshuvah, we have ample opportunity for change.
Gemar hatimah tovah! May you be sealed for a good year.
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