 | August brings peak summer and then, subtly at first, transition. Jewishly we pass through grief's gate of Tisha b'Av onto the seven-week runway to Rosh Hashanah. We will launch this cycle's High Holy Day runway series. At full moon, Tu b'Av and the Shabbat of love and comfort will greet us as a needed balm to the heart. The next new moon begins the holy month of Elul. The shofar will sound with strength. Our hearts will stir. We are called back. Remember who we really are. It's time. |
By Rabbi David
Happy August, Shir Ami! This month opens at the exact midpoint of astronomical summer, which brings peak summer heat and for many of us slow time. By month's end, we'll notice a transition.
Jewishly, too. On the Jewish calendar, this August begins in "oy" and leads toward "joy." This Rabbi's Corner column tracks the season's organic flow. We'll better appreciate the journey if we know where we're going.
August 2-3 – Tisha b'Av: The month begins with Tisha b'Av, the lowest day of the Jewish year. This holy day honors destructions, losses and griefs for a purpose: we descend for the sake of ascent (in Hebrew, ירידה צורך עלייה / yeridah tzorekh aliyah). By letting ourselves go down into raw emotion, we build momentum to rise high into the seven-week Rosh Hashanah runway. As a community, we'll gather online 7:00pm Saturday, August 2, for Havdalah followed by a solemn Tisha b'Av commemoration. Click here to register.
August 5 – Runway Series Begins: Tisha b'Av launches the Season of Meaning, starting with the seven-week preparatory time of introspection and teshuvah (repentance, return). As a community, we'll gather online 7:00pm Tuesday, August 5, to launch this year's seven-week High Holy Day series, "Seven Habits of Highly Evolved People," which I'll co-teach with Rabbi Rachel Barenblat and Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires. We'll immerse in seven core teachings and practices for ethical living keyed to the Holiness Code, the Torah reading for Yom Kippur. Click here to register.
August 8-9 – Shabbat of Comfort / Tu b'Av: The weeks following Tisha b'Av are for comfort: after even the greatest breaking can come renewal. This year's first Shabbat of Comfort coincides with Tu b'Av, Judaism's mid-summer full moon day of love. As a community, we'll gather online 10:00am Saturday, August 9, for a special SoulSpa dedicated to love expressed through Parashat Va'ethanan, which I call "Jewish greatest hits" because it brings the Shema, V'ahavta (love!) and Ten Commandments. This week's SoulSpa will be our final one for 5785: we'll resume again after the High Holy Days as Torah begins anew with Genesis.
August 25-26 – Rosh Hodesh Elul: The next new moon launches the holy month of Elul. We will upshift the call to teshuvah (repentance, repair), and lean into the joy of proximity to holiness. We begin blowing shofar to invoke new strength. As a community, we'll begin our August 26 "Seven Habits" session with Shir Ami's first shofar blast of the season. From then on, we'll bring shofar each time we're together through Rosh Hashanah.
We journey from "oy" toward "joy." From hurt and loss, we move through comfort and love, aiming for the strength to renew our lives together.
Welcome to August. Let's go!
Happy August, Shir Ami! This month opens at the exact midpoint of astronomical summer, which brings peak summer heat and for many of us slow time. By month's end, we'll notice a transition.
Jewishly, too. On the Jewish calendar, this August begins in "oy" and leads toward "joy." This Rabbi's Corner column tracks the season's organic flow. We'll better appreciate the journey if we know where we're going.
August 2-3 – Tisha b'Av: The month begins with Tisha b'Av, the lowest day of the Jewish year. This holy day honors destructions, losses and griefs for a purpose: we descend for the sake of ascent (in Hebrew, ירידה צורך עלייה / yeridah tzorekh aliyah). By letting ourselves go down into raw emotion, we build momentum to rise high into the seven-week Rosh Hashanah runway. As a community, we'll gather online 7:00pm Saturday, August 2, for Havdalah followed by a solemn Tisha b'Av commemoration. Click here to register.
August 5 – Runway Series Begins: Tisha b'Av launches the Season of Meaning, starting with the seven-week preparatory time of introspection and teshuvah (repentance, return). As a community, we'll gather online 7:00pm Tuesday, August 5, to launch this year's seven-week High Holy Day series, "Seven Habits of Highly Evolved People," which I'll co-teach with Rabbi Rachel Barenblat and Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires. We'll immerse in seven core teachings and practices for ethical living keyed to the Holiness Code, the Torah reading for Yom Kippur. Click here to register.
August 8-9 – Shabbat of Comfort / Tu b'Av: The weeks following Tisha b'Av are for comfort: after even the greatest breaking can come renewal. This year's first Shabbat of Comfort coincides with Tu b'Av, Judaism's mid-summer full moon day of love. As a community, we'll gather online 10:00am Saturday, August 9, for a special SoulSpa dedicated to love expressed through Parashat Va'ethanan, which I call "Jewish greatest hits" because it brings the Shema, V'ahavta (love!) and Ten Commandments. This week's SoulSpa will be our final one for 5785: we'll resume again after the High Holy Days as Torah begins anew with Genesis.
August 25-26 – Rosh Hodesh Elul: The next new moon launches the holy month of Elul. We will upshift the call to teshuvah (repentance, repair), and lean into the joy of proximity to holiness. We begin blowing shofar to invoke new strength. As a community, we'll begin our August 26 "Seven Habits" session with Shir Ami's first shofar blast of the season. From then on, we'll bring shofar each time we're together through Rosh Hashanah.
We journey from "oy" toward "joy." From hurt and loss, we move through comfort and love, aiming for the strength to renew our lives together.
Welcome to August. Let's go!
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