The waning days of 5778

L'shanah tovah

This past year, BIJC has made many strides forward. As we anticipate our tomorrows, we are filled with purpose. We wish you a year filled with meaning, learning, and growth beginning with our High Holiday services.

A Year of Anticipation, A Year of Choices

In just a few days we will be welcoming our New Year—5779. We are reminded each year at this season of the choices we have in life and emboldened to make healthy choices for how we live our lives. For me, the fact that Rosh Hashana celebrates the birthday of the world and, more specifically, the birthday of the human being, has always been a major part of my spiritual experience of the holiday. Combining that with the built in opportunity to renew our commitments to live better in our complex world, sets a framework for the journey of these days of awe.

Our liturgy proclaims "on this day was the world created." This proclamation serves to remind us that each day, each month, each year we are born again into a world of possibility. While we will not ignore the world around us during these days, we also need to focus on the world within us and near us—our families and community in order to experience these sacred times as transformational.

I would hope for all of us the opportunity for introspection and "examining the soul," as we say, so that the new year will bring new beginnings.

A few reminders for the holidays:

1. Once again, we will have a food barrel in the lobby to collect dry food that can be distributed by Jewish Family and Children's Services to the hungry in our County. Please bring canned and dry foods to place in the barrel.
2. If you purchased a copy of our High Holiday Machzor (prayerbook) a few years ago, please bring them to use a services. We have some additional copies, but, if we use them, we will need to announce two different page numbers for the new edition.
3. If we are standing in silence, kindly refrain from entering until the liturgy continues.
4. Please note that we welcome all who wish to be with us for the holidays. If you see people you don't recognize, please extend greetings and welcome them to the community.

The Board of Directors and Staff of B'nai Israel Jewish Center join me in wishing you a Shana Tova—a good, healthy, New Year.

Rabbi Ted Feldman

P.S. Interested in learning more about the High Holy Holidays or becoming more involved? Click here!