What Happen’s After the Holidays?

During the High Holy Days, we ask ourselves some big questions. What needs to change? What deserves more of our attention? How do we want to spend our time meaningfully?

Then the holidays end, and the things that kept us busy before are still waiting for us. It’s so easy to pick up where we left off.

Cheshvan gives us a little breathing room. With no major Jewish holidays this month, we have time to begin putting our intentions into practice.

During Tishrei, our prayers ask us to consider how we want to live. In Cheshvan, we begin to answer those questions through the choices we make with our time, our habits, and our relationships.

We often talk about change in terms of what we need to stop doing. But it can also mean adding something we’ve been missing.

Some of you have shared with me that you’d like to explore your Jewish spirituality or identity, or feel more connected at Temple, but haven’t quite found a way to begin. You don’t need to make a big commitment or know exactly what you’re looking for. This week, we have two casual opportunities to take a first step.

Tonight, join me for So a Rabbi Walks into a Bar, at 6 p.m. at Old Scratch Pizza, 812 S. Patterson Blvd., downtown Dayton. It’s a chance to meet new people and ask the questions that have been on your mind. We might even help one another think through how to make some of the changes we hoped for this year. Come on your own or bring a friend. The first drink is on me!

And on Saturday, October 17, at 10:30 a.m., Rabbi Sobo and I will lead Shabbat Noach: A Celebration of Animals at the Cedar Lake Shelter, 7891 Shull Road, Huber Heights. We’ll share a casual outdoor service and a blessing for our animal companions. Bring your own picnic lunch and stay to eat together afterward.

Bring your friendly, well-behaved pet—or a photograph if your animal companion would be happier at home. Dogs must be on leashes no longer than eight feet, and other pets must be safely secured.

I hope you’ll join us for pizza tonight or Shabbat in the park on Saturday—or both!