“For the joy of Judaism that keeps going and going and going.” That’s the tag line of my blog, the Energizer Rabbi. It’s whimsical and it’s happy. Happy Rosh Hodesh Elul. Today is the first morning of the Hebrew month of Elul. OK—it is really the second morning but yesterday was Shabbat and I don’t post on Shabbat and it is a two day Rosh Hodesh.
For some, Rosh Hodesh Elul signals the beginning of the High Holiday season. 40 days until Yom Kippur. For some rabbis, worried about massive to do lists and getting it all just right, it is terrifying! For some people, worried about the metaphor of G-d writing us in the Book of Life it is also terrifying. The stakes are high.
For me, it can be those things. But to answer a question that people often ask me, Rosh Hashanah IS a happy holiday. So for the next 40 days we are going to explore joy. Something near and dear to my own heart since Joy is my middle name and the one my family uses.
Sometimes joy seems elusive, fleeting. Sometimes, like yesterday it is easy to find. We spent Shabbat talking about “oneg Shabbat”, the pleasure, the delight of Shabbat. Then a small group of my congregation went to the Anderson Japanese Gardens in Rockford, IL, to experience “oneg Shabbat” in the beauty of a natural setting.
Anderson is one of those places that makes me happy. It is beautiful. It is serene. It enables me to be calm and experience my deeper self. I was excited to share this special place with special friends.
It has a reflecting pool filled with koi, two beautiful waterfalls, a formal Japanese tea house, lush green lawns and a pavilion ideal for summer band concerts or outdoor weddings. And a lovely restaurant overlooking it all with organic, locally sourced food.
Yesterday we began by walking around the reflecting pond—enjoying the sounds of joy and laughter as a wedding ceremony was taking place. Then we gathered under a bright red umbrella and I led a guided meditation about walking with G-d and returning. Return, Teshuva, is a big theme of this season. One thing that brings me joy, is that G-d is always available to us, always willing to meet us where we are. It helps that we were in a beautiful setting.
We read a poem about Elul. This one based on Psalm 27, the Psalm for the Season of Repentance, by Rabbi Patti Haskell, I fell in love with. http://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/poem-elul-psalm-27
Good morning, God, happy Elul.
This day, one thing do I ask of you, God,
One thing do I seek:
To dwell in your house
All the days of my life.
… and while I dwell with you
Perhaps a few more things I might request:
Good health is at the top of my list—
For me, my family, my loved ones,
While we’re at it how about everyone, everywhere.
And perhaps food:
A healthy nosh for all who are hungry.
Quench all hunger and thirst with your love.
We do hunger for more than food and drink, so
Please quench other needs as well.
Okay, how ‘bout safety.
Safety from earthquakes, hurricanes,
Safety from one another.
Safety from all that frightens us
Safety to rest in your care.
And laughter.
Please give us much fun, silliness
to giggle at, many many smiles.
Smiles as we watch children investigate their worlds,
Smiles as we explore the lives of our elders.
God, let me behold your graciousness
Today… each day of Elul… each day
Of this year, and next, and then the next,
While I visit your temple
And immerse in your love.
We heard those sounds of laughter. From the little children investigating their world. We explored what it means to be elderly and maybe not walk as well as we once did. And still we found joy.
Then people scattered with a Shabbat afternoon amidah and a shiviti, a focus on G-d’s name to do their own prayers, own meditations, own soul searching. Yud, Hay, Vuv, Hay. I am holy. All is clear. You are loved. All is perfect.”
When we gathered again, we sang Hashivenu and ended with another poem, written by a classmate of mine, Trisha Arlin.
http://www.ritualwell.org/ritual/return-prayer-elul
Then we sat and schmoozed in this glorious place,under bright blue skies enjoying the beauty and each other’s company.
Mincha is a gift. A pause in our frenetic pace. A brief interlude and a chance to remember that we are pure, blameless, created in joy. We are holy. We are loved. And we can return to that state. Whenever and wherever we want. It helps to be in a beautiful space.
Good health, enough food, safety, laughter, love. What would you pray for while dwelling in the House of the Lord—inside a synagogue building or outside in G-d’s House, G-d’s own beautiful creation. Come explore joy with me. Then we will be ready to enter the new year.
