September brings new seasons, new sessions, and of course, t'shuvah

Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024 | 30 AV 5784

Dearest Readers!

Today marks one month since returning from camp, and boy has this past month been full of everything. Adjusting back to “normal,” catching up on lots of sleep (still am), finding the energy to reconnect with friends, finding time for play, energy to cook, and rest, obviously!!! 

This month taught me many things, and one that stands out is the re-learning that sometimes the recovery after the main event can actually be the bigger challenge. If you ever did a dance marathon in college, you know that getting through the 24 to 36 hour marathon is hard, but you figure out how to make it work. But actually, you quickly learn that the real challenge is getting yourself together enough to be a human again, go to class, and normalize your sleep schedule again. In life today, summer camp is the dance marathon, and August is the month to get myself together again. It sure hasn’t been butterflies and rainbows, but I’ve worked hard to find the (however close to perfect) equation of rest, time for connection, and me time to start to feel like my best self again. 

As August ends and September begins, it’s honestly not a surprise to me that the next lunar month, Elul, is also about to begin (tonight at sundown). To me, Elul seems to have a more potent theme to it than the others. One of the first things that I remember learning about this month was that it’s an ENTIRE month for us to do what we traditionally do during the Days of Awe, and the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, During the month of Elul, it’s traditional to blow the shofar everyday to help wake us up to the things we would like to do different in the coming year, what we would like to let go of, and of course, the theme of t’shuva, returning to oneself. So many beautiful themes of the high holidays, and we actually have an entire month BEFORE they start to gear up for this spiritually heavy and meaningful work.

As I make my September calendar and prepare for the month ahead, I find myself craving meaningful connection and Jewish wisdom to help guide me. Because of this, I’ve decided to offer three Ethics with Emily programs during the month of September and Elul! These sessions will happen on zoom on Wednesday September 11th, 18th, and 25th at 5pm PT, and I would LOVE to see you there! Invite a friend! Share with your co-workers and your communities. You can come to one session, or all three, whatever works best for you. 

If you can’t make it to the sessions, I’ll leave you with big questions to ponder as we exit the summer season, and enter into this spiritual fall. 

• How has your life changed or shifted this season? What parts do you want to take with you, and what would you like to leave behind? 

• What’s bringing you joy lately? Do you need to rewrite your joy list to ensure your cup is staying filled? What will you continue to do this coming year to life a joyful life?

• What does connection look like for you right now? Who do you have on speed dial, and what can you do this month to continue to nourish those relationships? If you feel disconnected, what can you do to reconnect? 

I hope one or all of these land for you, and if not, keep an eye out for more shared wisdom, or sign up for an ethics call later this month.

With that I wish you a wonderful rest of your week and a Rosh Chodesh Tov.

Ethically,

Emily