This week’s Torah portion, Ki Tavo, begins with the very sweet words: “When you enter the Land.” After forty years of wandering we are at the doorstep of the Holy Land ready to enter. The first thing the Torah asks us to imagine is the transport of the first fruit of the first harvest to the Temple as a donation. We are so close to tasting those fruits, the sweetness of a land flowing with milk and honey. We are transported past the conquest and the settling in, and all the tumult of being a new arrival. For a moment, at least in our mind, we are here, finally, blessedly, here.
So, too, are we so close to tasting of the first fruits of the New Year, apples dipped in honey, and all of the many delicacies associated with Rosh Hashanah. It is the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the holiday that draw us in. Yes, we need to prepare ourselves spiritually, but first we remind ourselves of the joy. It is that joy that will lead us to do the things necessary to cleanse our souls. I encourage you to check out a video from a synagogue of one my colleagues in New York City and a recipe for a sweet 5777 (scroll to the bottom to see it) – http://jcpdowntown.org/welcomehome/
As always I have my questions for the High Holidays. Please write me back with your thoughts –
- What object, food, piece of clothing, most connects you to the High Holidays? Why?
- What is the most difficult challenge you have faced in your life? How were you able to overcome the challenge?
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex
Last Updated on 09/23/2016 by wpadm