Passages

Here we are, and it’s already August!! In my seasonal Spotify playlist, I’d point to US Blues by the Grateful Dead because of the recurring line: “Summertime’s come and gone, my oh my.” In my FB feed, I see the kids of shul families off to a new school year. High school grads starting college. Families returning from one last summer vacation. The late summer season is making a turn. In just over a week, we will mark Tish B’av, a somber fast layered with loss and introspection. And our Jewish calendar immediately pivots into seven Sabbaths of consolation, a much-needed reminder that – even amidst the ruins and grief – God cares about us, watches over us.

There’s an important program on the horizon in early September, Voices of October 7. We are reminded, daily, by “the war” (we all know which war I’m referencing) that our brothers and sisters in Israel struggle to keep it all together in the midst of the destruction and amidst the threats of an escalating regional conflict. This program puts a personal face on these issues. Survivors of October 7 have been speaking in Jewish communities all over the US. Here is our opportunity to personally connect, to support Israel, to deepen our own sense of what all of this means for us here in Central Georgia. I hope you consider being part of this event.

The end of September brings Selichot, and that means that the holiday-filled month of Tishrei will dominate October. As I write these words, there’s the wonderful news of the largest post-Cold War prisoner swap. People who have languished in Russian prison return home to freedom – Baruch Matir Assurim – Blessed is God who frees those who are bound (and blessed are all those who  successfully brought this release to pass!). I pivoted to this topic because the idea of Passage contains worlds of meaning. Time passes, we witness the coming and goings. We celebrate rites of passage. We mourn the passing of people – perhaps a famous person whose craft we admired, perhaps a close colleague. We celebrate news of those who’ve been imprisoned passing into freedom, and, we pray for those still imprisoned in Gaza since October 7, more than 300 days ago. The idea of Passages reminds us of a life in motion. Once we find ourselves paying close attention, we realize that nothing stands still. We continually recalibrate as we look ahead.