On the High Holidays

With the Day of Awe almost here, it behooves me to take some time and put up my feet, take a breath, and breathe a blog before the big days are upon us.

When I was a youunger student rabbi, one of the congregants commented to me after the holidays that he did not 'get as much' out of the services as he had in years past. I am not sure if it was because he found the music dull, the sermons uninspiring or because he had other things on his mind. But for some reason, that comment stuck in my mind.

Over the course of the next 20 plus years, and whenever I begin to approach the High Holidays, I remember what he said. But I have formulated a different answer. I suppose that I would say, "I understand that you did not get as much out of these days as you would have liked, but how much did you bring to these days?" It changes the question from one of being entertained to one reflecting the seriousness of these challenging days.

Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur are not plays. Although there is a certain amount of staging and choreography, the music has to be right and the air conditioner has to work, these days are about ultimate issues of making life matter, reconnecting with God, getting right with those we have wronged, turning and returning to our original and most noble selves. This is not the kind of stuff you do when you go to see "Phantom of the Opera" or "Evita" - my favorite plays.

These days are about struggle. They are about discomfort. They are about questions revolving around some of the most important issues of life.

It is not wonder that we should all take a breath before we enter these days. For, as these days remind us, they may be the last breaths we ever take and every breath we take should be worthwhile, worthy of blessing, and noble.