Articles

The opening verses of the book of Samuel are the Haftarah for Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the Jewish year. The story itself is simple: Hannah has difficulty conceiving; she prays to God for a son, and vows to dedicate him to God. The account in the book of Samuel includes the interaction between Hannah and her husband Elkanah, and between Hannah and Eli the priest. Biblical accounts invite us to seek out their moral and spiritual teachings and their life lessons, and how to apply them.

The challenge of this season is for us to listen more carefully to our inner scientist and to ask our inner lawyer to stop making excuses for us.  Prayers of confession are not meant to weaken us but to give us confidence that we can change for the better, we can grow spiritually, we can overcome past shortcomings. If we let our inner scientist win, the holy day season will be a success.

The future of Israel and the Jewish People will be secured by those who share the dream of a Jewish homeland that strives to be a “light unto the nations.”  The goal is to make Israel as great as humanly possible. For Jewish critics to demand the impossible is not only unrealistic: it is dangerous and self-destructive.

On a holiday that brought much of the nation together for a week in one place, the four species let each group take pride in its region while giving the group a sense of cohesiveness. The central place given to the four species as a Jewish symbol in later times suggests that this message may ultimately have been internalized.

We can appreciate how crucial it is for both the leadership and membership of Yisrael to remain sensitive to, and knowledgeable about, the developing world around them. Those who fail to do so are ultimately rejecting God and God’s works, in no uncertain terms