Rosh Hashanah Thoughts 5773

The images, metaphors, and symbols of the High Holidays can, at times, be a challenge and struggle for those of us in the modern American Jewish community. It is often difficult to feel warmth and affection for the images of God as King for a community that has never really known that form of governance. The Unetaneh Tokef which the Art Scroll Machzor calls "one of the most stirring compositions in the entire liturgy of the Days of Awe," can leave a modern worshipper cold with its mournful repetition of "who shall live and who shall die." We struggle with many of these images. The sounding of the shofar, however, always speaks to me of an image I understand and truly believe in about this time of year. Let me explain from a story by Rabbi Bernard Raskas.

*When Rabbi Mordecai M Kaplan taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, his practice was to explain the portion of the week on Monday in a sermonic manner. On Wednesday, a senior student would present his version of the same biblical text. Dr. Kaplan was a very demanding and critical instructor, and the students dreaded the ordeal. Once in our class a student took down what Dr. Kaplan said on Monday. When it became the student's turn to explain the passage on Wednesday, he repeated Dr. Kaplan's Monday interpretation word for word. At the end of the presentation Dr. Kaplan said, "That's a terrible exposition." The student then complained, "But Prof. Kaplan, that's exactly what you said on Monday." And Kaplan replied, "Young man, I have grown since then."*

The shofar calls to us to make changes in our lives. We are not to remain static, stuck in old ways of thinking, refusing to open ourselves to new ideas, fearing new experiences, Change is an essential demand of a healthy human condition. There is too much to accomplish, too much to learn, and too much pain and suffering in the world that needs to be addressed for us to sit back and refuse to hear the call of the shofar. It calls to us first to change ourselves so that we can move forward and change the world. This is a challenge and struggle which I can truly embrace every year as I listen once again to the notes of the shofar that declare, we were whole, we became broken, we can become whole once again. We just need to seek the change within.