Much of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is cerebral; it is all in our heads. However, there are some concrete things that happen, some of which require real physicality. The linens on the bimah are changed from ordinary blue or maroon or whatever to white, symbolizing purity and holiness. The books need to be changed from regular Shabbat and festival ones to machzorim, High Holiday prayer books. The additional chairs need to be set out. We are preparing to welcome lots of guests. We have done all that.
The part I like the most is polishing the silver. For me this is a symbolic act. It links me to generations of women, my mother and grandmothers especially who polished their silver twice a year. Once at Rosh Hashanah and then again at Passover. I feel that instant connection. More than that as I polish every nook and cranny, every crevice, it slows me down long enough for me to think. What do I need to polish in me? What tarnish do I need to remove so that I will shine brightly like the silver? For me, it is about the deep understanding that my mother’s and grandmothers’ love for me was for all time, that G-d’s lovingkindness and compassion extends to the 1000th generation, that as I polish this silver, maybe my third and the fourth generation will come to understand this fact easier than I have. This is a real changing, a real return, a teshuva. I still have work to do in the deep crevices. There are still apologies to be made. But it is a start.
What tarnish do you need to remove to see the real you? How will you shine brightly during the new year?