From the Rabbi's Desk

When facebook informed me earlier this week that it was my birthday with wonderful messages from friends as family, it got me thinking.
 
Today is actually my Hebrew birthday. But, without getting too philosophical, so what? It’s another Friday. One day older than yesterday. Why the celebration? Is there some sort of achievement in simply surviving the passage of time?
 
The answer to this is very timely for all of us. A birthday is likened to a personal Rosh Hashanah.  Translated literally from the Hebrew, It doesn’t mean New Year, or Beginning of the Year – It means Head of the Year. Kind of a peculiar choice of vocabulary.
 
This was one of the topics in last night’s High Holiday Insights class (Next one is Thu, Oct. 6^th). The message is that it isn’t just a random day on the calendar when we gather to celebrate another year gone by. Rather, Rosh Hashanah is meant to inspire and energize our entire year, much like the head guides and motivates the function of our body.
 
A birthday is a day to reflect on the big question of “who am I?” and to remind ourselves of our values, and the people and things we hold dear. This in turn, fuels us as we enter into a new year with a newfound focus and passion.
 
Rosh Hashanah is just days away, and we celebrate the world's 5,777th birthday. Take the opportunity to reflect, reconnect with your inner self, and kickstart your best year yet!
 
A seat is waiting for you at our welcoming and user-friendly services at the fabulous Hotel Petaluma. Come for part (Shofar blowing is 11:45), or come for the whole thing. Kindly let us know that you are joining by filling out this form.
 
On a birthday we have extra Mazal, so I'd like to wish you a good and a sweet new year, blessed with health, happiness, and prosperity. May all of your hearts desires be fulfilled for the good. Shana Tova!

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Dovid Bush

And the countdown begins. Two weeks until Rosh Hashanah. (RSVP here). But what is it all about? Beyond the apple dipped in honey, what is really going on?

Well, let's take a look at this week's Torah and try to gain insight. It reads "When you go out to war upon your enemies..." and it continues with some of the laws pertaining to soldiers at war.

The choice of wording is peculiar. It would seem to make more sense like this: "When you go to war with your enemies". The word upon and go out require further explanation. And the biggest question is, what does this mean for those of us (I'm pretty sure that would be most of us) who are not soldiers at war?

The message is that when we struggle with personal challenges or our personal war against that which is wrong, we should remember two things. That war of any sort is unnatural for us, dealing with this "enemy" is just not who we are, we need to go out of our zone to deal with it. When approached with this mindset, we can be certain that the outcome will be a victorious one - uponour enemies.

This is Rosh Hashanah. Tapping into who we really are, and what is truly important to us. And then, everything else falls to the side.

Later today, I have the honor to officiate a funeral for a gentleman, who although throughout his life may not have had the opportunity to be very active Jewishly, when it came down to it, he was absolutely clear that he wanted to be buried as a Jew, wrapped in his Tallit (prayer shawl).
(If you can help make a Minyan so the Kaddish prayer can be said at the funeral, please reply to this email)

Let's come together to reconnect, and we can be assured that we will be victorious over any challenges and have a good and a sweet new year!

Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Dovid Bush