This Time of Year

 

In Judaism, as in many other religions, there are times to “repent” for our wrongdoings and make SINCERE promises to try to do better in the coming year, months, and days. At the time that you are reading this, we are about twelve days away from the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, the 2-day festival of our Hebrew New Year, 5783 (sundown on September 25, 2022)

Just like the “Lord’s Prayer” (forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us), we ask for forgiveness in a prayer called “Avinu Malkeinu” (For our sinful actions which we have committed in Your sight… bring us back to You in perfect Repentance).

Rosh Hashanah is followed by Yom Kippur (25 hours beginning at sundown, October 4, 2022), at which time the “Book of Life” is sealed for the year, and we are judged by G-d based on our intentions, our repentance, and the changes we make inside our hearts to be better, to do better. We ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt, as we forgive those who have hurt us.

Sometimes we cannot physically ask for or give understanding, but it must be in our hearts and minds. The hurts we may have inflicted, if done intentionally, are not forgiven… if accidentally, they can be. That doesn’t mean there is no hope for the future, it means we must try harder.

As in the secular new year, this is a time to look forward, to appreciate what we have, and who we have in our lives, and hopefully be able to start anew with more kindness and understanding. We try, with all our might, to be better people.

To you I say “L’shanah tovah tikateivu v’teichateimu”; A good year, and may you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.

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OMIGOSH… SUMMER IS ALMOST (OFFICIALLY) OVER!!!!

 

Okay, it's official, three more weeks until Autumn begins. Where has the summer gone?

 

Sunrise, sunset,
Sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly flow the days.

Seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers,
Blossoming even as we gaze.

Sunrise, sunset,
Sunrise, sunset,
Swiftly fly the years,
One season following another,
Laden with happiness and tears.

 

This song (from Fiddler on the Roof) is often sung at weddings when parents marvel at how fast their children have grown. But these specific lyrics keep running through my head as I look back on how fast the seasons change.

 

Okay to be honest my summer was a bit of a bummer anyway, starting with my sister's passing and then my recuperating from a nasty cold and cough (yes, I am vaccinated and still took a Covid test — negative thank goodness!). For both reasons I never even got to go swimming this year  😢 (yes, all things considered, that is a minor loss…).

 

It seems like soooooo loooong ago that we were all carefree WITHOUT the need of masks or vaccinations; and while 2020 certainly did drag on unbearably I look at all my loved ones and see how many years have passed so quickly.

 

In my mind I can still see my children as adorable babies who clung to me and begged to be carried everywhere. And now I look at my fully grown ADULT offspring and see them as wise and decent human beings with responsible jobs, loving life partners, capable of taking care of themselves and others, and sometimes even taking care of their OLD parents. They grew up so fast!

 

The seasons just keep rushing by!

Next week is Rosh Hashanah… it is so early this year (in the Gregorian calendar). Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, it is time to reflect on all that has gone before and all that we look forward to. It is a time for all of us to reflect on WHO we are and WHAT we have done, apologize (SINCERELY!) to those we have wronged, and forgive those who have wronged us. It is a new beginning, in a way. But even with a new beginning, there is no way to go back and steal some yesterdays to relive.

In such a period when we are encouraged to examine what we have done and possibly change what we should do, it is even more obvious how time has flown by.

 

It is just three weeks until the official end of summer…

 

Happy New Year!

Many of us are not used to hearing those words except at the beginning of January, but there are some cultures who celebrate the changing of our calendar years at different times. Some of these are the Chinese New Year which corresponds to the Lunar months; the Islamic New Year beginning on the first day of the first month in the Islamic calendar beginning in late Autumn; the Thai New Year is a springtime celebration; the Ethiopian New Year is a spring celebration which comes after the “big Rains”; and the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur in the fall. The December 31^st and January 1 New Year’s celebration is based on the Gregorian 12-month calendar.

Although each of these merriments may be celebrated in unique ways, they all represent a new beginning. Before January 1st in America many of us make a list of resolutions, things we want to do in the coming year to improve ourselves. Those of us who celebrate Rosh Hashanah ask for forgiveness from those we may have unintentionally hurt, forgive those who hurt us, and we promise to do better in the future; the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are known as the ten days of repentance or the ten days of return. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to celebrate more than one new beginning every “year”, but how many of us truly realize how special an opportunity we are given.

There are several greetings we use for Rosh Hashana, my favorite two are Shanah Tovah Umetukah (wishing you a good and sweet new year) and L’Shanah Tovah Tikatevu (may you be inscribed in the book of life). Those who are lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends often share feasts of good food and sweet delicacies to hopefully signify a good and sweet year. We say blessings over wine or grape juice thanking G-d for giving us the fruit of the vine, and we dip pieces of round challah (bread) and apples in honey thanking HIM for the fruit of the earth and sweetness. We use round uncut challahs instead of the usual twisted versions to symbolize the cycle of life. We listen to the sound of the Ram’s Horn (the Shofar), light candles and read from parts of the Torah as we are commanded to do by G-d. It is often believed that the Shofar arouses us to examine our deeds and renew our relationship with G-d.

 The time between the eve of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish holidays always begin the evening before at sunset) and the end of Yom Kippur allows us time to reflect on our deeds. No one, not even G-d, expects us to be perfect, but we are always expected to strive to do better. These ten days allows us the time to examine our deeds, to be repentant for our misdeeds, intended or not, and allows us to find the peace within us to forgive those who have dealt unfair blows in our lives. The “Book of Life” opens on Rosh Hashanah, this “book” contains pages for each of us and G-d examines what has been written by our “own hands” (our own deeds). G-d judges and decides, by the time the book is closed on Yom Kippur, “who will live and who will die”. Despite the gravity of the words in our prayers, this is really not a frightening time, rather it is a time in which we find peace and self-awareness. We promise to do better, it is not the promise that is weighed by G-d but the sincerity in which we mean it.

Whatever time you may use for self-reflection and whatever belief system you subscribe to, the time you have to truly look inside yourself, to make peace with others and to plan how you can live a happier and better life is a precious thing indeed.

May your new year be sweet with hope
and new possibilities.
Wherever you go...blessings. Wherever you look...beauty.
Wherever you are...peace. L'Shanah Tovah

Renewal ~ #MondayBlogs

We’re in the middle the Jewish holidays, last week was Rosh Hashanah (beginning of the Jewish New Year) and this coming week is Yom Kippur. Traditionally most people who observe the holiday take time off from work to pray and reflect on their actions, to ask forgiveness for slights don to others (intentionally or unintentionally) and to forgive those who might have slighted us.

I’ve been lucky (workwise) in recent months and have dealt with multiple deadlines; so my first reaction after sundown the second day of Rosh Hashanah as I hurried back to my desk (yes I work from home) was thinking that I LOST two days I could have worked! And then I caught myself… I hadn’t lost anything, I reflected on who I was and who I was trying to be. The self-reflection helped me to learn WHY I did the work I do, it helped me to understand what my priorities are.

In addition to the peacefulness I feel after making earnest attempts to forgive others that I had been angered or hurt by, I also have gained valuable time in my life that isn’t wasted by tears and resentment. My reflection has forced me to face my own failings and has given me the encouragement to be better, kinder, and more productive. The time I spent in prayer and thought also made realize all the people in my life and all the things I have that I am so very grateful for.

I can’t promise to always think before I act or speak, and I can’t be sure I will always react kinder and fairer when something or someone “rubs me wrong”, but I know it is important to try. If one ten-day period (the Days of Awe) were enough to guarantee improvement, we wouldn’t need this yearly ritual. The ten day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is a time for self-reflection, repentance and renewal. The process of our atonement concludes with Yom Kippur which this year begins this Tuesday at sundown and goes through Wednesday at sundown.

There is irony in our New Year’s observance; Rosh Hashanah actually begins on the first day of the seventh month. There are three other New Year observances on the Jewish calendar but Rosh Hashanah is the most major and yet all that makes it most unique is the blowing of the shofar and preceding Yom Kippur so closely. The shofar, a ram’s horn, allows each listener to interpret the message they hear, a patterned series of blasts that seems to reach into our hearts and minds. This is a period of renewal, we figuratively wipe the slate clean.

I gave myself some extra time before resuming my work and when I did start again I felt less pressure and in a happier mood. And even though I was much closer to deadlines… I didn’t miss a single one.

It’s important to take a few steps back now and then, to take a look at ourselves, re-organize our priorities, be more accepting of others, and be thankful for what we have. It definitely makes for a nicer life.

click here to hear the Shofar

We are asking for your help - become a Living Donor

A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY IS IN URGENT NEED OF A KIDNEY TRANSPLANT!

Hi everyone, this beautiful couple is my sister Bobi and her husband Del,
as you can tell by this picture, they are very much in love.

But Del needs YOUR help ~ he needs a kidney.

Living donors offer recipients the best chances for a healthy life.
You can be tested to find out if you are compatible.
Please help by getting tested and spreading the word.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here's a letter from my sister:

Many years ago Del was diagnosed with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD) a genetic disorder characterized by the growth of numerous cysts in the kidneys. In 1968 Del lost a kidney to PKD and has been managing for the past 46 years with his remaining kidney. Recently his condition has worsened, the enlarging cysts are severely impacting the function of this kidney and it is failing. Del has been told he requires a kidney transplant as soon as possible. His best chances are a kidney from a living donor. Recipients of a living donor kidney live longer and healthier lives.

Time is of the essence so we are reaching out to as many people as we can to alert them to Del’s critical condition. You can make a difference. Please help spread the word to your family members, friends, co-workers, or any groups you are affiliated with. The more people we reach the greater the probability we can find a suitable kidney match for Del.

If you or anyone you know is willing to be tested to see if you are a compatible match for donation please contact Robert Wood Johnson Transplant Center, New Brunswick, NJ at (732) 253-3699 or 1-877-NUKIDNEY and follow the prompts for the living donor program. Tell them you are calling on behalf of Del Du-Bois.

Thank you so much,
Barbara Cordero Du-Bois and family

Some facts :

- We are born with 2 kidneys but can survive with one.

- Polycystic Kidney Disease is a genetic disorder so family members can be affected and are not good donor candidates.

- People with the most common type of PKD progress to kidney failure also called end-stage renal disease (ESRD).

- Living donor transplants represent the best opportunity for a positive long-term outcome.

- Transplants from a live donor has the benefit of lasting twice as long as a kidney from a deceased donor.

- The wait for a deceased donor could take 5 to 7 or more years.

- While the number of people requiring a kidney transplant has been increasing each year, the number of transplants received has remained at a stable and alarmingly low level over the years.

- According to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse there are 101,047 individuals awaiting a kidney as of August 21, 2014 and since January to May of this year 11,845 people who received transplants of which 2,280 came from live donors.

Rosh Hashanah is a time for joy, a time for new beginnings,
celebrations and counting our blessings.
We wish you and your loved ones the best of
health, happiness & prosperity in this new year.

Today is the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah