When addressing a group of rabbis several years back, a colleague of mine quipped, “this week we begin the Book of Leviticus, the moment rabbis begin worrying about High Holy Days.” It was March. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were still more than six months away.
Last week we officially began the seven week journey toward the Jewish New Year. The Fast of Av or Tisha B’Av (July 23) was the nadir of Jewish existence, a reminder of the desolation that followed the destruction of both the first and second Temples. It is as low as we get as a Jewish people. Afterward we rebuild our spirit, preparing ourselves fully for the rebirth we will experience on Yom Kippur. This period is marked by seven Haftarah readings called the Haftarat of Consolation where we read from the end of Isaiah, the most inspirational of all the books of the prophets.
This week’s reading takes us from the end of chapter 49 to the beginning of chapter 51, a section that tells us that God “shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her ruins; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found in there, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody” (Isaiah 51:3).
Getting in the proper mind set for our most important Jewish holidays takes time and hard work. We are supposed to use this time to do Cheshbon Hanefesh, an accounting of our soul. This means asking for forgiveness from those we have hurt, and even more importantly to forgive ourselves. This process is supposed to be not only cathartic but joyous. And the closer we get the more filled with anticipation we feel. Seven weeks, seven rungs on a ladder leading ourselves back to ourselves. Teshuvah, repentance, also means return.
Unless you are a rabbi, March is probably a little too early to think about the High Holy Days. But August is the perfect time. Elul, the month before Rosh Hashanah, is only a few weeks away. May you use this time wisely, to make yourself the best you, you can be.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex