Ten Rosh Hashanahs

This is my 10th Rosh Hashanah at Congregation B’nai Moshe. For some of you it may be your first time in our sanctuary. Others of you may have been here since the first days of this building or even were members in Oak Park or even Detroit. But, whether this year is your first or your fiftieth, we all share one thing, a love of our people, Judaism and the feeling that the High Holy Days are something special.

Every year we come back – in droves. Even if we never make it to a single other service throughout the year, we come back during these High Holy Days. And, every year we come to these days with changes in our lives and the world. The one thing that doesn’t change is the opportunity given to us each year for personal reflection, atonement and spiritual awakening.

In order for us to fully appreciate this sacred time, in order for us to not simply sit here, listening to beautiful music, hearing the words and explanations of the rabbi or just flipping to the end of the prayer book to see how many more pages we have to sit through, we must invest ourselves in this process. We must determine why it is that we're here in the first place, and recognize what an opportunity this can be to enrich our lives.

What a powerful tool our tradition provides! While it is true that we are able to do teshuvah, at any time of the year, we are commanded to make sure we do it as the New Year begins. If we don't want to miss an opportunity, we must invest in the process. Certain preparations have been made. The secret is, it is not just about coming to services. Don't get me wrong, coming together to pray is important. But, first we have our individual selves to consider. We are given this time to slow down, to take the few minutes to go over our check lists. Are we prepared? Have we done everything we can possibly do as we await this time of judgment? If not there is still time.