Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El

The High Holy Days Are Upon Us!

The High Holy Days are upon us! Preparations have begun on many levels. For most of us it is a familiar feeling: as summer ends, the weight of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur greets us with practical details and meals to organize. We are
fortunate if we also have the time to engage in the spiritual preparation and reflection that Tradition prompts.

In the Torah, Yom Kippur is labeled with an intensifier, Shabbat Shabbaton (the Sabbath of Sabbaths), to help us recognize its significance in the Jewish year. Yom Kippur is the holy of holies on the Jewish calendar, the pinnacle of sacred time. It is a day to let go of the material world with a potency unlike any other day in the year. Yet, the use of this specific term-Shabbat Shabbaton-implies that to encounter Yom Kippur we must have an understanding of a more regular holy day-Shabbat-and its intended purpose in our lives. To experience Yom Kippur as Shabbat Shabbaton we need some memory of Shabbat to inform our practice.

If Yom Kippur is the height of sacred moments, Shabbat is the building block. It reinforces the Jewish value of letting go, understanding that the world is not ours for consumption at all times. Shabbat is a break from the ordinary but it is more than just a break, a day off, extended "me " time. Shabbat is also a declaration of our freedom. Each week we announce with our actions that we are not enslaved to a work routine or even a family routine that cannot be broken. Shabbat injects itself into our week to remind us that we are not the center of the universe and our needs and desires need not be the sum total of our lives. Jewish Tradition affords us an opportunity each week to "give it a rest," to let go of many of the things we usually attend to and to take note of what is holy in our lives: loving relationships, the bounty of food we enjoy, the human ability to support those in need and celebrate with those who are joyful. On Shabbat we remember those who came before us, find ways to improve the world for those who will come after us and take note of those we live with now. These, I
believe, are the aspects of Shabbat that Yom Kippur seeks to intensify.

To help all of us begin to understand Shabbat-and to enrich Shabbat for the more experienced-the Communal Worship Committee has crafted Give It A Rest: A Congregational Shabbat Retreat. From sundown on Friday, October 29 until late in the afternoon on Saturday, October 30 we invite you to spend a whole Shabbat with us in discussion, prayer, song, and rest. As we share our stories and connect in community, we will also offer a variety of paths to experiencing the peace of Shabbat. We hope to give you a taste of Shabbat as a retreat in time, an opportunity for refreshing our bodies and souls. Please see page 14, for details. May this year be one that renews our spirits and refocuses us on all that is sacred in our lives. Shanah Tovah!