Rosh Hodesh Elul | ראש חודש אלול
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Blessing for the Month of Elul
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By Rabbi Sharon Cohen Anisfeld
President, Hebrew College
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One month from today, Jewish communities around the world will gather to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of a new year in the sacred rhythm of Jewish time.
Hope for renewal stirs especially deeply within us during this season. We imagine ourselves standing before the gates of a new year, the gates of possibility, the gates of repentance, return, and repair. But, of course, the real question is whether we will take the risk of unlocking the gates inside of us. . .
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Looking for God, Eyes Wide Open
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By Chaim Spaulding, Hebrew College Rabbinical Student
Parashat Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17)
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Parashat Re’eh begins with the imperative re’eh (see!), and a choice: the Israelites are presented with bracha u’klala, blessing and curse. Blessing will flow from following God’s commandments; curse will be the consequence for following other gods asher lo y’datem—gods of whom the Israelites have no personal, first-hand knowledge. Over and over in this parashah, woven in among laws on a variety of topics, we are warned not to stray after gods we don’t know.
As I encountered these passages, my rationalist brain was troubled. What does it mean to worship a God we know? When we look for God in the world, what are we supposed to see?
Well—everything.
Read more...
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“Dare to Prepare”: Hebrew College Alumni Prepare for Elul with Jewish Studio Project
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“The sounds of the High Holy Days are in our bones,” Rabbi Jessica Kate Meyer `14 said, “Even if you’re new or somebody whose discovering it for the first time, there is something so deeply rooted in the music of the High Holy Days that to me is a homecoming."
Meyer is one of five Hebrew College alumni working with the art collaborative Jewish Studio Project (JSP) in Berkeley, California on JSP's Elul initiative —which was created collaboratively by JSP Co-founder and Creative Director Rabbi Adina Allen`14, JSP Director of Program Design & Facilitation Rabbi Adam Lavitt `12, and the rest of the JSP team. Other Hebrew College alumni include Rabbi Jordan Braunig `14 and Rabbi Gray Myrseth `17.
According to Allen, “It is really daring to take the time to not just think about but let soak into us what this upcoming season or holiday is going to be… We need to really prepare ourselves spiritually and emotionally to receive the potency of the holidays."
Read more...
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Hebrew College High Holiday Companion
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Jewish tradition teaches that as we walk the winding path of teshuvah (return and renewal) during the High Holy Day season, it is wise to do so with fellow seekers. To help guide your steps, the faculty, alumni, and students of Hebrew College created a High Holiday Companion—a collection of reflections on the prayers, scriptural readings, and sacred practices of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. We hope this booklet will help illuminate the way into the High Holiday liturgy and these sacred days of return and renewal.
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The High Holiday Companion features original essays, poetry, and visual artwork.
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