From the Rabbi…

November 2005

For me and I hope for you there were many spiritual high points during the High Holiday services, I will share with you that I was particularly moved by the musical treat, served by Bernice Friedson, we were privileged to experience on Kol Nidre – what a magical way to begin Yom Kippur. Neilah, the last part of Yom Kippur was also especially significant for me. Neilah is the final rush towards achieving Teshuvah (repentance) before the gates finally close. Symbolically we keep the Ark opened and then close it as we come to the end of the service. There are far too many words to fit into the time allotted, and we quicken up and as the end of the fast nears, we get faster and faster as the gates continue to close ahead of us. We sing the final “Avinu Malkenu”, using the last vestiges of our energy – a beautiful and moving melody and then finally the last shofar blast of Yom Kippur.

To be honest, I would be satisfied with a service which consists mainly of the shofar blasts. We are very fortunate that our shofar blowers, Jeff Arron and Dan Lipsitz are so masterful at this task. I was spiritually uplifted by the blasts of the shofar. I think it is a tremendous loss, that when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat as it will next year, we miss the shofar entirely on the 1st day.

I was very struck by the comments made by many congregants as they left after the various High Holiday services, that they had enjoyed the services or that the services were wonderful. I should have asked what you meant by these compliments, but after such long services, no one would appreciate a long discussion about spirituality in services. Were you moved by the same parts of the service that moved me? Or was it something quite different. How indeed are services for you? I would like to ask you now to let me know how services felt for you, whatever that feeling happens to have been.

I have shared many times that I understand that synagogue attendance is difficult for the modern Jew. Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi in his book Jewish with Feeling, asserts “Start from your own immediate experience and offer that up to G-d. Prayer that does not come from the heart is no prayer at all… Religious acts are – should be- no more than natural unfoldings of the human condition, of whatever situation we find ourselves in at any given moment. Our tradition, however, often starts from the other end, a top-down approach. Rather than working up from our own experience, it works down from our vision of a watchful and exacting Creator. Why did the rabbis prescribe all the blessings that they did? “The earth is the L-rd's and the fullness thereof,” quotes the Talmud – but G-d has given the earth to us. The blessings are a means of restriking this bargain… Theologically speaking, the Talmud’s reasoning makes sense, but it does not speak to our hearts.”

Rabbi Zalman asserts that it is likely that many Jews feel spiritually bereft by our services, and the reason is because they simply do not start from, or touch, where we are. I am not certain how to tackle this. Different synagogues have attempted many different approaches. Just know that I think about this a great deal and that I am committed to creating a service that moves your hearts, minds and souls, and is a spiritual experience.

For now, I wish to thank the numerous members who played a vital part in our High Holiday Services 5766:

Our Daveners : Zelig Zacharow, Manny Lobel and of course Cantor William Helmreich
Our Torah readers: Ariel Fein, Rachel Morsches and Susan Elkodsi
Our Haftarah readers: Ariel Fein, Al Mark and Manny Lobel
Our Shofar blowers: Jeff Arron and Dan Lipsitz
Our Gabbais: Bernie Finegold, Ed Elson, Elliott Rudnick, Stan Kaplin & David Arron
Our Ushers led by Alan Frankel
Our Presidents, Ellen Mendell and Anita Rosnick for their moving and powerful appeals
Paul Antell, for his passionate appeal on behalf of Israel Bonds
The Board of Directors and the Arron and Friedman families for their generous donation of the flowers for the Holidays.

Thank you all for your tremendous efforts on behalf of us all.

I pray that the 50th anniversary celebrations and our High Holiday services will act as a slap that gets the first breath going in a newborn. Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt.

B’vrachah (with blessing),

Rabbi Colin
(203) 268-6940
rabbi@bnaitorahct.org