Where Do You Find G-d or the Sacred in Your Life?

Shalom everyone,

Wow! It’s hard to believe, but a whole year has passed and the High Holy Days are beginning to poke their heads around the corner. If you close your eyes and listen carefully, you may even hear the faint echoes of the shofar sounding. OK, we’re not quite there, yet.

The month of August also marks the beginning of the month of Elul in the Jewish calendar. Jewish tradition holds this month in special regard. It is a month in which we can begin to let the ups and downs of this year go, and to prepare ourselves for the ride of the new year to come. For some, this may mean saying prayers, journaling, buying a new article of clothing, taking more walks, beginning those conversations that we’ve been putting off all year, or making plans for the coming year. In short, it is a time of transition.

Moments of transition often leave us with a mixture of emotions – feeling turned upside down, dizzy, sad, lonely, worried, even excited – all at once. Sometimes, a little structure can help us move more smoothly with the current of this change. As Elul begins, we insert Psalm 27 into our daily prayers, and sing, “One thing I ask of the Holy, for one thing I yearn, to dwell in the House of the Holy….”

So, my question for you this Elul is: Where do you find G-d or the Sacred dwelling in Your Life? Is it in nature, in community, on the golf course? Wherever it is, what are some of the ways that you are able to appreciate it?

This year, please join us for BEing in Elul as we initiate some new places for finding It in the coming new year. Of special note are a couple of classes, “Entering Elul” on Aug. 22 and “Slipping Into S’lichot” on Sept. 11, and a workshop on making round challah for the New Year, on Aug. 30.

I look forward to entering this New Year together with you.

See you soon,
Rabbi Mark