Recounting our Journeys
Jewish time operates in cycles; we cycle through reading the entire Torah in a year, and in a year we cycle through all of our holidays. Our year starts at Rosh Hashanah, takes us through Sukkot, Chanukah, Passover, Shavuot and more until we return to Rosh Hashanah. It may seem hard to believe, but we are now rounding the final bend of our year and heading straight for Rosh Hashanah.
Moses, too, as we begin the last book of the Torah, Dvarim, is nearing the end of his cycle. He launches into his final speech to the Israelites, recounting the various aspects of the Israelites’ journey up until this point.
As we move closer to Rosh Hashanah and our new year, I invite you to start to reflect on this year. What were the important moments you experienced? Who or what did you lose this year? What can you learn from this year?
During the next month in the Jewish calendar, Elul, we will be providing you with even more prompts for reflection.
– Rabbi Avi Fine