Chaverim y'karim - dear friends,

It's happening again.

It's nothing bad.

It's actually an annual 'thing'.

It's the High Holy Days.

Relax.

You've got this.

Well. Maybe. As with anything, it's what you put into it ... and what we collectively create.

You and we will only know on the backside of those Awe-filled Days, which begin with celebrating God's Creation of the World (Rosh HaShanah) and conclude with the celebration of the Fall Harvest and our annual cycle of reading the Torah (Sukkot, Shemini-Atzeret, Simchat Torah).

And housed in the opening ten days - let alone the preceding month (which begins next Monday evening) - are the very days that make these THE Days of Awe, culminating in Yom Kippur, the Day of AtOneMent. Those ten days highlight personal and communal attention on repentance, prayer, and charity with deeds of contrition, humility, righteousness, repair. Those ten days, just to reiterate, are preceded by a critical month, called Elul, which in case you missed: begins next Monday evening!

And so I turn to a beloved book by many, which is designed for the start of Elul and can carry you/us into the High Holy Days. The title alone may grab you: This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation. Written by Rabbi Alan Lew (z"l) in 2003, it stands the test of time and is well worth your reading (or re-reading) moving toward Rosh HaShanah. Below, I have listed some other books and resources to get your mind, heart, soul in the direction of the High Holy Days and will continue to return to this theme as we approach the close of 5784 and the start of the New Year.

Our choir has begun to rehearse. I am putting fingers to keyboard for sermons and thinking about themes and readings ... and soon the shofar will sound. And lest you think only Rosh HaShanah is the "shofar day" - we are to hear it each day of Elul to stir our souls as it accompanies Psalm 27.

In the meantime, there will be more to come in the next month ... see you on Shabbat - services at 6:30pm, Friday evening.

L'shalom,

Rabbi Mark Cohn

A few other books to consider in preparing for the holidays:

Bridge to Forgiveness (Karyn Kedar) 

60 Days: A Spiritual Guide to the High Holy Days (Simon Jacobson)

Return: Daily Inspirations for the Days of Awe (Erica Brown)

Book of Mercy (Leonard Cohen) 

Man’s Search for Meaning (Victor Frankl) 

Pictured above - High Holy Day symbols from The Jewish Journal