Monday, Sep. 28, 2009

Let's Talk: Clean slate for new year

Rabbi Daniel Sherman has been leading the Tree of Life Congregation since 2007. He talked about the importance of the High Holy Days in the lives of his congregants and today's solemn observance of Yom Kippur, the day of atonement:

What does this period of Rosh Hashanah, the High Holy Days and Yom Kippur mean to you?

Sherman: The High Holy Days are the holiest time of the year for us. The idea is, I want to start off the New Year on the right foot, so Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the New Year and Yom Kippur is our day of atonement. Through repentance, seeking forgiveness, evaluating, taking stock and making some plans, the goal is to make our slate clean for the new year so that we can really start off on the right foot.

Before I can be ready for this year I need to evaluate what happened last year. What am I most proud of? What did I do right? Where did I miss the mark? Which decisions do I wish I could take back? Or if, in the new year, presented with the same challenge or the same question, what would I do differently?

That's what we should be doing right now. Yom Kippur is our last shot at cleaning that slate before the New Year starts in earnest. So all of our traditions are to help us get ready for all of that.

What is the focus of the holidays?

Sherman: Some holidays focus on home celebrations. Rosh Hoshanah and Yom Kippur focus on observances in the synagogue. One needs to be in temple for these holidays. The mood is serious, the mood is seeking forgiveness, granting forgiveness, pleading before God, looking out for ourselves, our families, our congregation, our community, our people, our country and our world.

One of the things I like best about our liturgy is when we confess our sins, when we think about all those things we wish we could do better, we say it in the first person plural. We are asking for forgiveness for the whole community, all of us. And we are reminded that all of us have an obligation to help make this world a better place. At the beginning of a New Year, as we celebrate the birthday of the world, there is a reminder that we need to get busy with this.

As the son of a rabbi, were the holidays important to you as a child? Is there a place for children during this celebration and remembrance?

Sherman: Sure. I believe that all of our kids need to start coming to temple on the High Holy Days from an early age.

We want to show that these days are separate, are distinct. It's even more special than a regular Shabbat experience on Friday nights or Saturday morning. There are special foods we eat that help remind us of the importance of this time and now as we get ready for Yom Kippur we are getting ready for our day of fasting.

Talk about the role of fasting.

Sherman: We fast for a number of reasons. We fast to show that we are serious. We are not just saying words but rather we really mean what we are saying. We fast to show that we have a little bit of willpower and some self-discipline, which we're going to need in this new year to help us keep from making the same mistakes and committing the same sins as we have in the past. Fasting also reminds us that there are a lot of people in this world that are hungry all of the time. Empathy is always stronger than sympathy. By experiencing hunger, it reminds us that we ought to be doing something for those who are hungry.

For the kids, they can understand this is serious. Mom and Dad aren't eating; they've completely changed their schedules for a day. For our kids on Sunday morning during religious school, I'm going to remind them that everyone can observe the fast in one way or another. For the kids, it might mean skipping a dessert on Yom Kippur. For our older kids, it might mean skipping breakfast.

Is there a tradition of casting off sins during the High Holy Days?

Sherman: There is a tradition of tashlich. Again, our goal is to wash off those slates. So on Rosh Hashanah afternoon, many of us walked across the street to Cary Lake here in Arcadia Lakes; we stood at the water's edge, we thought about some of those sins we committed over the past year, and we took bread crumbs and tossed them into the water, symbolically attempting to discard our sins. And that is a tradition done by some folks, again as a way to prepare for this new year.

- Compiled by Carolyn Click

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