Renewal. That’s one way to think about the High Holy Days. The world is renewed; our spirits are renewed; we have a chance to ask forgiveness and renew our relationships. And, of course, this year we will have a renewed worship space. The pieces are coming together, and it is going to be beautiful.
It has taken more time than we expected to make it all happen. Surprisingly, that is also true of personal renewal – it takes longer than we think. As I’ve said many times, if you show up on Rosh Hashanah without having done any spiritual preparation, you’re bound to be disappointed in the result.
Tomorrow night the Holy Day season officially begins with Selichot (related to the Hebrew word “s’licha – excuse me”), a program and service created specifically to get our spiritual and repenting juices flowing. We’ve got something for every age group. You’ll find specific information elsewhere in this e-mail. I encourage you to begin your High Holy Days tomorrow night. That will help ensure that your personal spiritual renovation is completed on time!
