It is autumn, the month of apples. The leaves fall, and the harvest is nearly over. It is time to put away what we can for the winter. Yet within the quiet world we feel the stirring of a seed of wisdom. We must look deep within to find it. The light is fading, but within us is the beginning of the world.
The first of Tishrei is called Rosh haShanah, the beginning of the year. It is a time for reflection and memory, a time to remember all that we have done and consider whether we have done it wisely. It is a time to commit to change. This new moon is the start of a year-long cycle in which we will awaken the Divine within our souls, minds, hearts, and bodies, honoring the sacred fire, air, water, and earth, and reminding ourselves, as the Hasidic masters teach, that there is no place where God is not.
May you all have a Shanah Tovah …
A good year, a year of peace,
May gladness reign and joy increase.
Here’s to a returning to the Great Cycle!
L’Shanah Tovah!
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Midrasha TV/TC is sponsored by Congregation Beth Emek (Pleasanton), Temple Beth Torah (Fremont), and Congregation Shir Ami (Castro Valley), and is a beneficiary of The Jewish Federation of the East Bay and The Jewish Community Foundation.