This year, my sixth grader is studying ancient civilizations. His year-long exploration started with learning what components are necessary for a civilization to exist. One of the primary characteristics is rituals. Human beings need rituals. For that matter, my dog has her rituals. When I put my shoes on she goes to the door assuming she is going for a walk. When we go to bed at night, she goes to the top landing for about 2 hours and then down to the couch for the rest of the night. Animals including human beings need rituals in order to structure our lives and give our lives meaning. Jewish life is a composite of many different rituals some legislated, some custom, some universally recognized, some particularistic. Two years ago I introduced the concept of reading 1/3 of the Torah portion and, therefore, taking three years to finish reading the whole Torah. I challenged you to think of what rituals you might take on during this Torah cycle which will be completed on Simchat Torah 2015.
Last year I asked you to write down your new mitzvot so I could start collecting them. (To read some of them, click here.) Wouldn’t it be neat next year if we could dance around the torot surrounded by mitzvot that have shaped our community? What ritual did you take on last year? What new ritual do you hope to do in the coming one? Could we start dialogue here sharing ideas, successes and/or challenges? Let me know how your Jewish life has changed in the coming year. And always keep in mind a picture of a community based on interconnecting Jewish tradition with contemporary knowledge allowing us to engage joyously in Jewish mitzvot.
Last year I asked you to write down your new mitzvot so I could start collecting them. (To read some of them, click here.) Wouldn’t it be neat next year if we could dance around the torot surrounded by mitzvot that have shaped our community? What ritual did you take on last year? What new ritual do you hope to do in the coming one? Could we start dialogue here sharing ideas, successes and/or challenges? Let me know how your Jewish life has changed in the coming year. And always keep in mind a picture of a community based on interconnecting Jewish tradition with contemporary knowledge allowing us to engage joyously in Jewish mitzvot.