Dear TBZ community:
It is the last Shabbat of the year!
Here we are on the cusp of a new year -- an opportunity to start anew, to lift our hopes and wishes and to reset. Our tradition invites us to dig deep into our own actions and choices, so we can make the best of what will come.
This week, the last of the four songs that we are introducing as an Elul preparation is an adaptation of the verse from Lamentations 5:21.
הֲשִׁיבֵ֨נוּ יְהֹוָ֤ה ׀ אֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ וְֽנָשׁ֔וּבָה חַדֵּ֥שׁ יָמֵ֖ינוּ כְּקֶֽדֶם
Take us back, O LORD, to Yourself,
And let us come back;
Renew our days as of old!
This verse, which we sing every time we return the Torah to the ark, holds a contradiction as we ask that our days may be renewed as days of old! Do we want something new? Or do we want something like in the past. In addition the word in Hebrew for days of old, is Kedem, which also holds in it the root for the word kadima which means onwards, something in front, and it also means East. East, which is where we direct ourselves to pray.
So, are we asking to go back to life like in the past? Or are we going to renew to something new? To what comes next?
In a moving teaching from Rabbi Robert Eisen, Rabbi Emeritus at Congregation Anshei Israel in Tucson, Arizona, reflecting on this verse after the sitting shiva for his son he writes:
“Hadesh yameinu k’kedem — Renew our days as in the past. What is it we really want for the New Year? Is it to go back in time and have what was? Or, is it to embrace what is ours to have and make the most of it, to try our best to make the best use out of the opportunities that are presented to us day in and day out to move forward into our future?
As we sit on the cusp of the beginning of a New Year we can look back with desire at what used to be, want to cling to the past and never let go. But then we will only be stuck to what was. What my experience with this prayer taught me is that there is nothing to be had with getting stuck in the past. However, if we strive to build a future based on what made the past, the foundation upon which we stand today, so meaningful and significant, then our days will be renewed with hopes and prayers fulfilled, smiles and laughter for all to share”
What a powerful teaching. As we long for a past, before the pandemic, before all the restrictions we have, before masks and limited numbers for services, we can hold this idea of renewing and building our future based on what made the past. Our longings can express our deep desires for a better and more meaningful future.
This week’s parasha, Parshat Nitzavim, include two words known to many:
וּבָֽחַרְתָּ֙ בַּחַיִּ֔ים
Choose Life.
We choose life in the ways we look at our future. And Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to reset and start anew, building our life with purpose.
The tune that we offer below, for these words (with some adaptation) are from our dear TBZ friend Rabbi Micah Shapiro and his wife Aaren Alpert. You can find it HERE.
Hashiveini v’ashuva chadesh yameinu k’kedem - Receive me back so I may return to my true self, renew our days to their essence.
May we all rediscover a piece of ourselves that has been temporarily lost and be empowered to grow as communities, tuning in to the work we are meant to be doing and the connections we may cultivate together. G’mar chatima tova!
This is the last song of a series of four songs that Noah Weinberg, TBZ’s Musical Prayer Leader, and I offered this Elul, hoping to enhance your Elul preparations.
May this Elul journey, as it comes to an end, be one of meaning and purpose, so we can arrive ready for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
May this Shabbat bring renewal and blessings to all of you and your loved ones.
May we find strength, courage, and patience, and open our hearts with generosity.
May all those who are ill find healing of spirit
May we have a joyful and restful Shabbat!
Shabbat Shalom & Shanah Tova
