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September 18, 2025
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Unit One | Unit Two | Unit Three | Unit Four

Day Eighteen (September 24)

Working on yourself

Clean House

There are two New Years on the Jewish calendar. There is the Biblical New Year, Passover. And there is Rosh Hashanah, crowned as the new year by the Rabbis (first century).  It’s noteworthy that both of these holidays are associated with simplifying our lives and paring down our inventories.

Remember the game ‘lifeboat’? We were asked to consider if we had to leave our homes and never come back, what are the three things we would take with us?  It’s a values clarification exercise to get us to become aware of what is most important to us.

We perform a Jewish version of “lifeboat” on both Passover and Rosh Hashanah. On Passover, we literally ‘clean house’ by getting rid of all our chametz. Matzah is slimmed down bread. And chametz is associated with being ‘puffed up’ and overgrown.

During the high holiday season, there are two ways we become lighter or ‘leaner and meaner.’  On Rosh Hashanah we get rid of bread, too, by throwing breadcrumbs into the water and symbolically unburdening ourselves of our sins. Even more dramatically, on Sukkot, we build a spare house, a sukkah, consisting of four flimsy walls and a roof that allows both the rain and starlight to penetrate.

There is no room in a sukkah for fancy furniture, dishwasher, stove or oven, never mind a home gym. The sukkah reminds us of a simpler time when all we had was the tent on our back as we wandered in the wilderness for forty years. And, on the holiday of Sukkot, it is traditional to read the Book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) about a king who spends his whole life accumulating ‘stuff,’ only to realize that collecting more and more things won’t make our lives meaningful.

Sukkot challenges us to ask: What do we really need to be happy? What do we most want to take with us into the coming year?

Action

  • Choose some area of your physical inventory and pare it down
    • Clean out a drawer or a closet and give the things you don’t need to Goodwill.
    • Pare down your library and give away books you’ll never read again.
    • Clean out your computer files. Delete, delete, delete.
    • Clean out your garage.
  • Now that you’ve uncluttered your physical space, unclutter your time:
    • Look at your weekly and monthly schedule. Where is it ‘overgrown’?
      • What projects, activities and commitments can you eliminate? How can you prioritize your time and simplify your life so that the commitments that are most important get the most of you?
      • Just as we leave physical spaces in nature fallow and declare them to be national parks or wilderness areas, how can you leave fallow spaces in your time? How can you resist the temptation to fill every moment with activity?

Connecting Jewishly

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Interfaith Dialogue (Israel)

  • Shalom Hartman Institute Christian Leadership Initiative

The Shalom Hartman Institute is offering a unique learning series for Christian clergy to study, discuss ideas and questions about Israel and Palestine with colleagues, and work together to renew relationships with local rabbis. hartman.org.il/topic/christian-leadership-initiative/

  • Shalom Hartman Institute Muslim Leadership Initiative

Through a rigorous academic curriculum and exposure to diverse narratives, MLI seeks to expand participants’ critical understanding of the complex religious, political, and socioeconomic issues facing people in Israel and Palestine. hartman.org.il/program/muslim-leadership-initiative/

Connecting Jewishly

  • The Future of the Past, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

Read this article by Rabbi Sacks: https://rabbisacks.org/archive/thoughts-for-ellul/

  • How does Rabbi Sacks explain that on the high holidays we celebrate the future before returning to the past?
    • What do you think it means to ‘redeem the past’?  How might a new vision for our future impact our understanding of the past?
      • How is this true for America today?
      • How is it true for the Jewish people?

Day Nineteen (September 25)

Working on yourself

Personal Growth Through Music

Theme: Humility
Musical Selection: “Ripple” by The Grateful Dead

Reflection

When we talk of a ‘ripple effect’ we mean that an action, however small and seemingly insignificant can have a far-reaching impact by triggering a chain of events. A classic example in the Bible is the story of Ruth. The Book of Ruth tells us that Elimelech, Naomi and their two sons left the land of Israel during an economic downturn to live in the neighboring country of Moab. Machlon and Kilyon married Moabite wives.

Tragedy befell the family and all three men died.  Naomi decided to return to Israel. Her daughters in law, Ruth and Orpah, accompanied her to the border. Still grieving her own loss, Ruth made the heroic decision to remain loyal to Naomi, to embrace Judaism and to go with her to Israel. This small act of kindness by an unknown person began a chain of events that ultimately led to the birth of David, the ancestor of the future Messiah, redeemer of the entire world.

Reflection

Listen to “Ripple”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmMjY6tXaEo

  • In the song by The Grateful Dead, what do you think the ripple refers to? What does it mean that its source is unknown?
  • What/who are the ripples in your life that continue to shape you (people’s actions, decisions, events, moments)? What small action of yours might create a positive ripple in the life of your family, friends or community this year?
  • What is the source of uncertainty in the song?
    • How does the poet feel about this uncertainty? What is its impact?
    • What uncertainty do you live with? How are you responding to it?
  • What is the mood of this melody?
  • Imagine the words of the song were spoken and not sung. What difference would that make? What do you think is the impact of the melody on the words? Does the melody fit the words? Or does the melody modify the effect of the words?
  • What other lyrics in this song struck you as having relevance to the themes of the High Holidays?

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Israel-Democracy Movement

Zioness is a multiracial coalition of Jewish activists and allies who are unabashedly progressive and unapologetically Zionist. Our grassroots organization includes more than 30 chapters across the country that fight for the advancement of social, racial, economic and gender equality in America and for the inclusion of Zionists in social justice spaces. Zioness.org

  • UnXeptable

UnXeptable is a grassroots movement launched by Israeli expats in support of a democratic Israel. We call on world Jewry to come together and preserve the democratic identity of Israel as the home of all of its inhabitants. unxeptable.org/

  • New Israel Fund

The New Israel Fund’s founders envisioned an Israel that reflected their progressive values. Thousands of Israelis and supporters of Israel worldwide have since joined forces to push for an Israel where everyone can participate in a shared and just society. Together, they are working to build a stronger democracy in Israel, rooted in the values of equality, of inclusion, and of social justice. Nif.org

Connecting Jewishly

God’s Faith in Us

Read this article by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks:https://rabbisacks.org/archive/thoughts-for-ellul/

  • When has someone’s faith in you had an impact on your life?
  • When has your faith in someone else made a difference in their life?

Day Twenty (September 26)

Working on yourself

Let Go

When we feel most insecure and vulnerable, we hold on tight to things:

  • We hold on tight to our mother’s hand on the first day of kindergarten
  • We hold on to the edge of the swimming pool for fear that if we let go, we’ll be in danger
  • We hold on to our money for fear of being without, fear that someday we might not be able to pay for our food or housing or medical care
  • And we hold on tight to our emotions for fear that if we open ourselves up someone could hurt our feelings

We are not unjustified in seeking safety, security and stability. But, sometimes, overvaluing our own safety and stability can be harmful:

  • When there is deep economic inequality, maintaining stability and having people hold on tightly to what they have can perpetuate an unjust system where poverty and inequality become permanently enshrined for generations.
    • In response to this problem, the Torah prescribes a year of ‘letting go’ (‘shemittah’) once every seven years. The farmer let go of his land, declaring it ownerless for the year. Creditors let go of their debts.
  • Shabbat, the seventh day, can be seen as a day of ‘letting go.’
    • We let go of our money by not using it for 24 hours.
    • The double challah on our table reminds us of double portion of manna we received from God when we wandered in the desert for 40 years.
      • We were forbidden to save it from one day to the next. So we lived in a permanent state of vulnerability, having to depend on God each day for our daily bread.
      • On the seventh day we were not permitted to collect manna at all. So, we had to live with the insecurity of not working for one day, trusting in God that the manna would be there the next day.
  • Our emotional stability depends on our ability to hold on to ideas about people that don’t change and a view of the world which is steady and predictable. But, if we want to grow and improve ourselves and the world, we sometimes have to take the risk of letting go of ideas and assumptions about the world and other people which may be holding us back.
    • Once again, the Joseph story provides us with a good example. Joseph had good reason to fear opening up to his brothers. They had hurt him deeply and nearly ruined his life. But, when Judah showed Joseph that he had truly changed, Joseph had to decide.  Does he hold on to his old assumptions about his brother? He’d be safe. But, he’d be alone, with no family.  The Torah describes Joseph’s emotional risk taking as a ‘letting go’ of control:
      • “And, Joseph could no longer hold back his emotions. He raised his voice and wept.”
        • The result of this letting go was a whole new relationship with Joseph’s brothers and a joyful reunion with his father.

Reflection

  • What are the relationships, possessions, habits of behavior and ideas about the world that you hold on to tightly because they give you a feeling of safety, stability and security?
  • When has letting go of something or someone you cherished created in you a feeling of vulnerability, insecurity and instability?
  • When have you successfully taken the risk of letting go of something or someone and grown as a result?
  • What are you holding on to now that you could afford to let go of?
    • Possessions?
    • Ideas about people and about the world?
    • Emotions?
    • A behavior, habit or routine that gives you a sense of order, but sometimes gets in the way of spontaneity or connection to others?
    • Is there a physical object you take with you that serves as a security blanket, but can also block you from being open to the new and unpredictable (a cell phone, for example. Does letting go of the phone make you feel insecure?)
  • Where do you feel you might be able and willing to risk being more emotionally vulnerable in order to attain a greater gain?

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Second Chances – Drug Addiction

Connecting Jewishly

From the Place Where We Are Right, Yehudah Amichai

Read the poem by Amichai: Sichaconversation.org

  • Have you ever grown as a result of realizing that you were wrong?
  • Can you think of a moment when doubt transformed your thinking or softened a rigid view?
  • What “ruined house” have you experienced or witnessed in your life or in the life of the Jewish people that later became the ground for something softer or more beautiful?
  • What inner “place where I was right” might you want to soften, in order to let something new grow?

Day Twenty-One/Shabbat #3 (September 27)

Working on yourself

Forgiveness as a way of seeing

Tools: Film and Television

We often think of forgiveness as a response to a specific wrong. But we learned from the goal of shabbat (see Day Seven) that forgiveness can be a way of seeing, a way we approach all human frailty with sympathy and generosity of spirit. The Rabbis referred to this attitude as ‘ayin tovah,’ literally ‘a good eye.’

Here is a list of some of my favorite films in which the main characters model this quality of ayin tovah/a forgiving spirit:

  • Waking Ned Devine
  • Local Hero
  • Snapper
  • The Full Monty
  • Fisherman’s Friends and Fisherman’s Friends One and All

Two Israeli comedies:

  • Pick a Card
  • A Matter of Size

Both of these are films about people who feel a sense of rejection finding meaning and self-acceptance.

And I want to single out two more because they were so unusual:

  • Roseanna’s Grave (1997) is a beautiful, funny film about a husband who loves his dying wife so much that he wants to make sure she receives the last grave in their small town’s local cemetery. But other people might die first! So, he tries to stop them in hilarious ways. Believe it or not, this film is a comedy, and not at all depressing. One of the sweetest films I have ever seen.
  • Cinema Paradiso is another incredibly sweet film about a director who looks back at his connection to the only movie theater in his small town. One of the bonuses of this film is that in the very last scene of the film, there is a beautiful gesture that can stimulate a lot of thought about the importance of memory, something we’re all thinking about during the high holidays.

All of these films remind us that human frailty is universal, and communities thrive not by eliminating imperfection, but by learning to live with it — joyfully, even tenderly. As we approach the High Holidays, let’s ask not only who do I need to forgive? but also how do I want to live? What would it mean to move through life — in our families, our friendships, our neighborhoods — with a heart that defaults to forgiveness, sympathy, and grace?” So, pick one (or more) of these films to watch with family and/or friends. Then discuss how these films relate to the high holidays.

Here are some guide questions that could apply to any one of these films:

  • How do characters in this film respond to one another’s mistakes, weaknesses, or failures?
  • Which character in the film shows the greatest capacity for forgiveness — or for accepting others as they are?
    How does this affect the community around them?
  • Does anyone in the story change their perspective on someone else’s faults?
    What makes that change possible?
  • How does the setting — a small town or close-knit group — shape the way people forgive and accept one another?

Actions

  • Could our congregation develop this kind of an approach to each other? Are there ways we already have it?
  • Think of someone in your life who is “quirky” or imperfect — but whom you’ve come to accept or even cherish. What helped you get to that place?
  • In what ways does our own community embody (or struggle with) this kind of open-hearted acceptance?
  • What small steps could move us in the direction of “generosity of spirit”?
  • If forgiveness were a way of life — a spiritual muscle you build over time — what practice would help you grow stronger in it this year?

Finally, I want to recommend a truly beautiful true story on this theme of looking at people with a generous/forgiving eye. The story is called “A Surgeon’s Life” and it’s found in a collection called “An Anthropologist on Mars” by Oliver Sacks. It should be available in any library, but for your convenience, we’re providing two copies in the synagogue office.

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Incarceration Reform

  • The Center for Justice and Human Dignity (CJHD)

The Center for Justice and Human Dignity (CJHD) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is safely reducing incarceration while improving conditions for incarcerated people and correctional staff. They also work to promote successful reentry and reintegration. They promote values of human dignity and shared safety while keeping in mind the needs of survivors, directly impacted people, and society at large. Alongside diverse partners, they collaborate with judges on alternative sentencing, correctional leaders on the conditions of confinement, and policymakers on early release strategies. Cjhd.org

  • Watch the film Since I Been Down. Gilda Sheppard’s documentary humanizes the incarcerated by telling the story of Kimonti Carter, who, serving a life sentence, created an education program by prisoners for prisoners. Available on Netflix.
  • RISE2hope strives to heal broken relationships for and with those impacted by crime and incarceration. They primarily offer programs to those who are locked up. They also participate in coalitions which advocate for the transformation of the justice system to become restorative rather than punitive. RISE2hope strives to help people find deeper meaning in their lives and embrace alternatives to violence, addiction, gang membership and incarceration.  Rise2hope.org

Connecting Jewishly

  • Limmud Seattle
  • Limmud is a global movement of independent, volunteer-run Jewish learning events. Limmud Seattle curates community-building through festivals celebrating Jewish culture, creativity, and learning. Facebook.com/limmudSeattle. Limmud has educational events throughout the year and a major conference each January. If you’d like to get involved as a volunteer or a presenter, go to limmudseattle.org.

Day Twenty-Two – Finding Your Voice (September 28)

Working on yourself

Learn to Shout Halleluyah (cultivate enthusiasm)

We often equate praise and gratitude in the experience of Jewish prayer. They are not the same. We can understand this by way of a sports analogy. The Mariners are playing at home and they are ahead by one run in the top of the ninth inning. But, the other team has the bases loaded with two outs. The opposing player hits a high fly ball to deep center. Julio goes back, leaps and makes the catch just as it’s about to clear the wall. The Mariners win. We say, “Thank God!” with a sigh of relief. That’s gratitude.

Now imagine a different scenario. The Mariners are behind 4-1 with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The bases are loaded. Cal Raleigh hits a monster grand slam and the Mariners win. The crowd goes wild, jumping up and down and yelling and screaming for joy “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”

That’s enthusiastic praise!

The word in the Jewish prayer book that expresses enthusiastic praise is “Halleluyah.” Halleluyah can’t be recited quietly. It has to be shouted with joy. Think of the halluluyah’s in a Baptist Church.

Our tradition teaches us that just as we can develop the ability to be grateful, we can cultivate enthusiasm. We can learn to shout Halleluyah.

Listen to the famous song by the Isley Brothers, “Shout!”: https://www.google.com/search?q=isley+brothers+shout&rlz=1C1ONGR_enUS1131US1131&oq=isley+brothers+shout&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDwgAEAAYFBiHAhjjAhiABDIPCAAQABgUGIcCGOMCGIAEMgwIARAuGBQYhwIYgAQyDAgCEAAYQxiABBiKBTIMCAMQLhgUGIcCGIAEMgwIBBAAGEMYgAQYigUyBwgFEAAYgAQyBwgGEC4YgAQyBwgHEAAYgAQyBwgIEAAYgAQyBwgJEAAYgATSAQkxMDY2OGowajeoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:fe59943e,vid:nEjLFpU2pJ4,st:0

Reflection

  • What makes you feel like you want to shout?
    • We often speak metaphorically of ‘making our voice heard.’  We mean that we have something unique to say to the world, to give to the world out of the depths of our own souls, and we want it to be valued and appreciated.
      • When have you felt your voice was heard this year? When have you felt that you projected joy and enthusiasm out of yourself onto the world by virtue of something you said or did or by a connection you made?
  • Every day we read in the Amidah: tekah b’shofar gadol l’cheruteinu/sound the great shofar of our freedom. The sound of the shofar is dynamic and energetic and reflects our desire to have a dynamic impact on the world.
    • When did you feel this past year that the voice of the Jewish people was not being heard, or that it was being suppressed?
    • When did you feel that the Jewish people were able to make our voices heard as loud and as exuberantly as a shofar?
  • What have been your Halleluyah moments?  When have you felt as excited as you were when you were seeing a Cal Raleigh home run?
    • Revisit those memories in your mind. Spend a few moments each day re-experiencing the excitement in your life. Remind yourself of the many times in your life you’ve shouted Halleluyah.
      • What would it take to feel that way again? What would it take to help someone else feel that way?

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

  • Jindas (boosting social mobility in Israel)

Applying a unique, comprehensive approach, Jindas boosts social mobility and alleviates poverty in Israel’s most geographically, socially, and economically marginalized communities. Applying a unique, comprehensive approach, Jindas boosts social mobility and alleviates poverty in Israel’s most geographically, socially, and economically marginalized communities. Jindas.org.il

  • Youth Wellness Zones in Washington State
    • The “zones” approach to education, inspired by Geoffrey Canada’s groundbreaking  Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ), focuses on providing comprehensive, cradle-to-career support to children and families within a specific geographic area. This model aims to break the cycle of poverty by addressing educational, social, and family needs holistically. In Washington state, this model is being applied in a project called ‘Youth Wellness Zones.’ Here is the link to the website: uwcolab.org/youth-wellness-zones

Connecting Jewishly

Host a Sapir Salon

The editors of Sapir Journal are inviting us to host our own SAPIR Salon and join a like minded community of different-minded thinkers. How? It’s easy. After the release of each issue, gather a few friends for thought-provoking and meaningful conversations around the essays featured in the journal. You can host one in your living room, at a nearby park, or anywhere where you feel most comfortable having a rich discussion. We invite you to join SAPIR Salons Facebook Group to create or join a community near you. For further guidance, go to sapirjournal.org/salons/

Day Twenty-Three (September 29)

Working on yourself

Create Harmony

Cantor David Sirkin Poole has taught that the blend of instruments mentioned in Psalm 150 can be seen as a metaphor for human community. Here are the words:

Praise God with blasts of the horn;

Praise God with harp and lyre.

Praise God with timbrel and dance;

Praise God with lute and pipe.

Praise God with resounding cymbals:

Praise God with loud-crashing cymbals.

Let all the breaths praise the Lord. Halleluyah.

Cantor Sirkin Poole taught that we can look at the variety of musical instruments as symbolic of the diversity of human personalities. No two human beings are exactly alike. We each have something to say to the world in our own unique voice.  That is as it should be. The voice of the violin is different than the voice of the piano, and we treasure the unique quality of those sounds.

At the same time, there is a new music that can only be produced when all those different voices are blended together. That’s the music of a band or orchestra. When you listen to a band, you can still pick out the voices of the individual instruments.  They are not lost. And, yet, were these instruments to stay solo, we would miss something beautiful that comes when we blend them together.

Similarly, in the ideal community, we treasure the unique voice of each individual. Each of us gets to sing a solo in our lives. And, even when we are ‘playing’ in concert with others, our individual voices are still audible. Yet, there is also a ‘music’ that can produced only when the individuals of a community work together. The ideal community allows for both individual self-expression and communal expression.

One compelling example of what happens when we blend different voices musically is harmony. When we harmonize, the sound we produce depends on each of us singing differently. Yet, we are singing with the intent of creating a new original sound together which transcends anything we could produce as individuals.

Reflection

Listen to the harmonies of these famous bands and notice how they are all doing the same kind of thing musically, yet each of these sounds is unique:

We can see the singing of musical harmony as a kind of visualization or rehearsal for the kind of harmony we want to create in our lives, both inner and outer harmony.

  • We have spoken of creating harmony between our Yetzer Hatov and our Yetzer Hara (Day Four)
  • The midrash teaches that God created the world by creating harmony between din and rachamim, the quality of justice and the quality of kindness. The Kabbala teaches us that these qualities live in creative tension with God. And each of us needs to struggle to balance these two tendencies artfully in our lives.
  • Much pain has come to the world of late because we have been projecting outward the creative inner human tension between the need for stability and order on the one hand, and the need for change and growth on the other hand.
    • We project onto liberals the need for change, and we imagine they don’t value order. We project onto conservatives the need for order, and we imagine that they don’t value growth.
    • If we were to recognize the need to harmonize our inner conservative with our inner liberal, we’d be less likely to demonize each other.

Action

  • What are the various ways in which we could create harmony in our lives and in the world this year?
    • in our families?
    • in our communities?
    • Within the Jewish community?
    • Within the American community?
    • Within ourselves?
  • How might we use actual musical harmony as a spiritual practice, a visualization technique for creating more harmony in the world?
    • How might we listen to and sing musical harmony (for example in Jewish prayer) with the kavannah (intent) of acting out musically what we would like to do on a broader scale in our lives?

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Global Jewish Activism

  • Olam Together
  • Olam is a network of Jews and Israelis committed to global development and service – practitioners, philanthropists, leaders, and young adults. Together, they strive to grow their collective impact, raise awareness within the Jewish community about the value of this work, and live out their most deeply held values. Olamtogether.org
  • American Jewish World Service (AJWS)

American Jewish World Service is the leading Jewish organization working to fight poverty and pursue justice in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Through philanthropy and advocacy, we respond to the most pressing issues of our time—from disasters, genocide and hunger, to the persecution of women and minorities worldwide. With Jewish values and a global reach, AJWS is making a difference in millions of lives and building a more just and equitable world. Ajws.org

Connecting Jewishly

Online Jewish Newspapers and Magazines

  • Haaretz (Israeli)

Breaking News, Analysis and Opinion from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World – Haaretz.com

  • Tablet

Launched in 2009 as an online outlet about Jewish life and identity, Tablet quickly became “a must-read for all young politically and culturally engaged Jews” (New York Magazine). Within a few years, it grew into one of the most influential platforms for news and ideas—both Jewish and otherwise—on the web. Tabletmag.com

  • The Jewish Forward

The Forward‘s perspective on world and national news, and its unparalleled coverage of Jewish arts, culture and opinion, have made it a highly influential nationwide Jewish media outlet today. Forward.com

  • The Jerusalem Post (Israeli)

The Jerusalem Post is Israel’s most-read English news website and best-selling English newspaper bringing breaking news, world news & Middle East news. Jpost.com

  • Sapir

Sapir is a journal exploring the future of the American Jewish community and its intersection with cultural, social, and political issues. It is published by Maimonides Fund with Bret Stephens serving as Editor-in-Chief. One of the most thoughtful Jewish publications in English today. Sapirjournal/org

  • The Times of Israel

The Times of Israel (ToI) is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012 and has since become the largest English-language Jewish and Israeli news source by audience size.  Based in Jerusalem, it “documents developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world.Especially noteworthy is its blogs section. Timesofisrael.com.

Day Twenty-Four (September 30)

Working on yourself

Shiru L’Adonai Shir Chadash: Shape Your Identity Through Melody

There is a famous Hasidic story about a young Jewish shepherd boy who doesn’t know how to read. He has no access to the High Holiday Machzor, so instead, when he attends services, the begins to play his whistle as a way of reaching out to God. The congregation is shocked by this breach of protocol and wants to throw him out. But the Baal Shem Tov, the charismatic founder of the Hasidic Movement embraces the boys heart felt desire to connect with God in whatever way he knows.

This story is often used to illustrate how the Hasidic Movement revolutionized Jewish life in the 18th century.  Central to Hasidic practice is the niggun, the song without words. The niggun made Jewish worship and Judaism itself accessible to the masses of Jews who were not Torah scholars, many of them illiterate. It thus democratized Judaism.

The Jewish people take rightful pride in centering Torah learning as a way to connect with God. But this story complements that value by reminding us that we serve God not only with our heads (our intellect), but also with our hearts. And, since music is often associated with a joyful outpouring of the heart, the niggun also illustrates the Hasidic idea that we should strive to serve God with joy.  That’s why music and dance are so important to Hasidic practice.

We can go a step further. This story also illustrates that melody itself is a means of reaching out to God. The Jewish prayer book is called the Siddur and it is made up of words. Lots and lots of words.  We are used to the idea that melody can enhance the words. But the Hasidim went further, and they taught us that the melody itself is a way for us to ‘speak’ to God, and to speak to each other. Not everything that we want to say to the world needs to be said (or can be articulated) in words. There are other means of human beings to communicate with the world from the depths of our souls. Art is one. Music is another.

When the Jewish people crossed the Red Sea, we sang a great song of liberation. We only have the words of that song. But surely the melody of that moment must have been deeply soul stirring. Can we imagine the liberation of the human spirit without melody? Can we envision the Civil Rights Movement with the melody of “We Shall Overcome” or the liberation of the Jewish people through the birth of Israel without the Melody of Hatikvah? Or a high holiday service without the melody of Kol Nidre? And one of the most memorable expressions of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is the blowing of the shofar, which is an energetic sounding of a voice without words.

The Psalmist wrote “Shiru l’Adonai shir chadash/Sing unto the Lord a new song!” In that verse, new song is a metaphor for human transformation. But it is also a reference to actual melody sung in the Temple. Since music has the power to touch us deeply, and even to move us to righteous action, how might melody change us? We have spoken a lot about thoughts and actions that could lead us to becoming better human beings. But, if we want to really transform our souls, melody can be a powerful instrument.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are about repentance, forgiveness and healing. But they are also about rebirth and renewal. Rosh Hashanah celebrates the birth of the world and the creation of life. How can we utilize melody as a tool for accessing what we most deeply want to say to the world?  How can melody help us to re-create and renew ourselves both as individuals and as a people?

Reflection and Action

  • What is the music that most deeply touches you, makes you feel most alive, that most speaks to you and for you? Create a playlist of that music to listen to everyday for the 40 days between the first day of Elul and Yom Kippur.
    • You might choose to focus on a specific genre: classical, rock, folk, country, jazz, blues, rap, hip hop.  Or, feel free to mix genres. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Just because a piece of music has never been connected to the task of renewal during the high holidays doesn’t mean you can’t make that connection now. And you don’t need to limit yourself to what you think is “Jewish” music. Remember that the Hasidim made a point of taking melodies from the shepherds and from bars and turning them into religious instruments.
  • We are what we listen to. The music we sing, play and listen to is deeply connected with our identity. This is true for us not just as individuals, but as a Jewish people and also as communities within the Jewish people. So, we can often tell who is Orthodox, Reform, Sefardic, Persian, or Israeli by the Jewish music they prefer.
    • What Jewish music excites you, energizes you, touches you? Do you like to listen to Naomi Shemer? Maureen Nehedar? Ofra Haza? Shai Ribo? Neshama Carlbach? Debbie Friedman? Mordecai ben David? Arik Einstein? Zohar Argov? Ofra Haza? Matisyahu? Nissim Black? Joey Weisenberg? Deborah Sacks Mintz?
  • Create a playlist of Jewish music that re-creates the rich diversity of experience of being Jewish in the 20th and 21st centuries.
  • Shiru L’Adonai Shir Chadash! Sing unto God a new melody. We have been through a lot in the past year. As you imagine a new path for the Jewish people in the coming year, what would the sound track of that path look like?

Tzedakah/Tikkun Olam

Imagining a New Path for the Jewish People

We are a group of about twenty people, clergy and lay leaders, Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, American born Israeli born and secular Jews who began to meet on zoom two years ago to study Jewish text and to reflect on the impact of the Israel Democracy Movement, the rise of antisemitism in America, and the attack on Israel on October 7th.  Together we are exploring the question: What opportunities for growth and renewal are presenting themselves to the Jewish people today? For more information, please contact Rabbi Rosenbaum at rabbirosenbaum@h-nt.org

Additional organizations doing tikkun olam:

Yaffed, Our Jewish Recovery, Reut, T’ruah, The Van Leer Jerusalem Leer Institute, The Z3 Project. And the list goes on…

Connecting Jewishly

Local Jewish Perspectives

  • The Cholent

The Cholent is Greater Seattle’s only source for Jewish news. Run by former Jewish in Seattle editor Emily Alhadeff, The Cholent provides reporting, analysis, and interviews on issues as they pertain to our little Jewish corner of the planet. https://thecholent.substack.com

  • Diaspora Dialogues Podcast

This podcast delves into themes of dual identity among Jewish Americans, Jewish communal relationships to Israel, and the necessity of nuanced conversations within the community. Episodes include discussions on the role of Diaspora Jews in political movements, the importance of inclusivity in Jewish spaces, and maintaining relationships amidst differing perspectives. Inthediaspora.com/podcast

 

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