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Friday September 30th, 2022 | 5 Tishrei 5783
Shana Tova!!!
I hope y’all have all had a meaningful start to the year and have created time and space for the deep introspective work that the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur brings. If you haven’t yet found that time and space, I hope this letter can help with that.
I saw a quote earlier this week from Rabbi Angela Buchdhal that may resonate with you:
“If you have come here tonight on Rosh Hashanah and feel that there is nothing to examine, no wound in your life to heal, no relationship to repair - then I hope you will listen especially closely to the shofar… The purpose of the Shofar blast is to shake us up and to disturb our status quo. The shofar call, “shevarim” literally means “broken.” And if you do not feel any cracks emerge from that sonic signal, you might ask yourself if you’ve truly fulfilled your obligation to hear it. For the shofar blast should be a wake up call that reminds us to dig a little deeper, to bear into what is hard, to stop living life on the surface of it all. To return to our fractured relationships. To lean into the grief that you’re feeling for someone you lost. To examine the imperfections that we constantly criticize and then to get curious. Perhaps this pain - this flaw - this broken heart- has a purpose.”
I don’t know about you, but this quote speaks to me deeply. For the first time, the shofar blasts gave me goosebumps. (Fun things you don’t necessarily need to know but I’ll tell you anyway - The service I went to had two shofar blowers, one shofar was an octave higher and they harmonized and it sounded a m a z i ng ). Anyway - these blasts offer beautiful opportunities for introspection and growth. There are four different calls: tekiah, shevarim, teruah, and tekiah gedolah and each carries its own meaning:
Tekiah is our spiritual wake up call and prepares us for what's to come.
Shevarim represents the challenges we've faced and honors the moments of darkness and brokenness we've faced in the last year.
Teruah welcomes the focus we need in order to accomplish our goals.
Tekiah Gedolah brings realignment and stability. We prepared with our resolutions to start a new year feeling connected, committed, and cleansed.
Another quote that’s come up for me during this season is from a piece of art a dear friend gave me as a gift. It says, “We grow not to what was, but to what we can become.” Sometimes growth can be painful, but it can also be beautiful. In a way, the shofar blasts wake us up to this opportunity for growth. In order to truly grow, we have to face what’s broken, ugly, and painful. We have to break down before we can build back up. We have to do the work - even when it’s hard. Because we were born to do hard things! But once we do that work, we get to rebuild into something even better, something sturdier, wiser, and even more beautiful.
For me, the shofar blasts have woken me up to my internal brokenness - in the past year I've strayed away from living by my own values, I’ve been moving a million miles a minute, and lost myself in the process. The shofar blasts have inspired me to go back and pick up the pieces. To slow down enough to remember what the pieces are and how they can all fit together again. The blasts are reminding me that some pieces might not fit exactly the way they used to fit, and that’s okay. There is always a bigger picture - we just don’t always know what that is. The blasts are helping me to realign, slowly but surely. I am ready to do the work and eager to uncover this new version of myself - a balanced, present, patient, loving, and happy version of myself.
How are the shofar blasts resonating with you this week and this year? Here are some questions to spark conversation at your Shabbat table, or to journal about with yourself. This time of year is crazy busy, but if you can, definitely make space and time for reflection. Your soul needs it!
Tekiah - What do the sounds of the shofar represent to you?
Shevarim - What challenges have you faced this year, and how have you put your pieces back together? Or, how would you like to begin putting the pieces back together?
Teriah - What do you need to welcome in in order to grow into an even better version of yourself?
Tekiah Gedolah - How will you realign with your own values and find stability in your life?
I hope these questions bring thoughtfulness and calm to you this Shabbat. May you all be blessed with a peaceful start to Shabbat and a meaningful journey through the remaining days of awe. Thanks for reading. Shabbat Shalom!
Ethically,
Emily
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