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Greetings!
There’s something powerful about everyone showing up. At a wedding, graduation, or championship game, the experience feels different when everyone is there. We’re reminded that we’re part of something larger than ourselves.
This week’s Parsha gives us a similar image as we approach Rosh Hashanah. The Torah says, “You are all standing here today.” The Baal Shem Tov taught that “today” refers to Rosh Hashanah. Before the new year begins, every Jew stands together before Hashem.
The Torah then goes out of its way to list all kinds of people: leaders and followers, scholars and workers, woodchoppers and water-carriers.
Jewish unity doesn’t mean we’re all the same. Each of us has a different background and role. Yet on Rosh Hashanah, we’re reminded that beneath all those differences, we share the same essential connection.
This Saturday night, we begin saying Selichos, the special prayers traditionally recited in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah. Selichos give us an opportunity to reflect on the year that’s ending and to think about the kind of year we want to build.
But preparation for Rosh Hashanah isn’t only about prayer. It’s also about how we show up for other people. An act of kindness or simply being there for someone who needs us can turn the ideals of the High Holidays into something real.
As we prepare for the new year, may we all stand together, each in our own way, and enter the year ahead with greater purpose and joy.
Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos,
Rabbi Leibel and Chana Fine
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