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to Who You Are Rabbi August’s Rosh Hashanah Greeting |
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Again, Return Again Return to the land of your Soul. Return to who you are Return to what you are Return to where you are Born and reborn and… Return
By Shlomo Carlebach
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as we listen to the stirring blasts of the Shofar. Most of us anticipate birthdays with excitement. We might have a party, get presents, celebrate “who we are” with those we love, and have time to pay attention to ourselves, acknowledging where we have been and where we are going. Does this sound familiar? Of course! A birthday is similar to the theme of Rosh Hashanah, the anniversary of the day God breathed ‘Divine breath into our soul’ and we were created. When we blow the Shofar, with our breath, it is “God’s breath” that we use to make the Shofar sound. The sound of the Shofar is the very sound of our own soul, begging us to return, to come home. Each new Jewish year, is a time for creation. But it is not only about creating something new, it is also about returning to something eternal. How do we both create something new, and return to who we are, something eternal and unchanging? We do this through the process of “Teshuvah”. “Teshuvah” is the Hebrew word for “repentance.” It is a challenging concept. We are not just asserting, “repent you sinners, regret your sins and change your ways!” Teshuvah is so much more! Look at the words by Shlomo Carlebach on the top of this greeting. “Return Again” is the name for this popular Rosh Hashanah prayer. Why? Because “Teshuvah” is not just about “Repentance,” it is so much more about “Returning.” Return, come back, find your true self and acknowledge your soul. Where are you? What have you done this year to enliven and light up your soul and what have you done to cover up and darken your soul? These are the penetrating questions that must be asked as we begin our Rosh Hashanah, our Jewish new year. There are different steps to doing Teshuvah. We have to clean up our mess and repair any broken relationships. This first step is needed in order to make room for something new. Step two is to return, to connect to our Divine, higher self. Rabbi Simon Jacobson explains these two steps of Teshuvah as follows. “Lower Teshuvah” cleans up the past and “higher Teshuvah” opens up the future.” Believe in your future. Know that as long as we breathe we matter, we grow, we love, we care and we become who we are destined to be. Before we blow the Shofar we say this prayer, “From my narrow place, from my depths and constraints, I call to You and You respond to me from Your expansive place.” Everyday life, our routines, responsibilities, schedules and challenges, leave us exhausted. Take a deep, healing breath. The breath of life comes from God. Now imagine yourself blowing into the Shofar, through its narrow passage, like the constraints of our lives. Yet the sound comes through so loudly and clear! The Shofar blasts that we hear today shake us up and should pierce our hearts. Remember there is more to life than regret, frustration, and materialistic reality. There is the pure cry of the Shofar, the cry of our innocent souls. This cry reflects our yearning for forgiveness, relationship, meaning, success, purpose, and love. Return Again, Return again, Return to the land of your soul. Let us all return this Rosh Hashanah to ourselves, our families and our home at Adat Shalom - renewed, and rejuvenated, with health and holy blessings for life! Shana Tova! |