A moment of reflection with Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel taught us that Jews sanctify time, not space, yet how do we do so when time seems so unsettled? Our core observance is Shabbat, the completion of the six days of creation from Genesis. In creating our world from chaos, God separated and categorized. There was light and darkness, day and night, dry land and waters. After the six days of creation, there was Shabbat, an antidote to the chaos that existed prior to creation.
Since March, time has become confused. If we are not mindful, one day simply blends into the next. But our traditions allow us to separate ordinary days from sacred time. We now enter an intensive period of sacred time—the Days of Awe—a time to renew the cycle of the year.
When the world seems out of our control and we can barely separate day from night, let us discover how these sacred occasions can help prepare us for the task of creating a sweet New Year.
Rabbi Samuel N. Gordon, Congregation Sukkat Shalom |