Happy July, Shir Ami! As we begin our journey together in sacred community, I want to begin a monthly practice of sharing brief words about where each month invites us in the flow of spiritual time. By taking stock of where we are in the arc of the year, together we can deepen and heighten our experience of Jewish and spiritual life.
For this first monthly Rabbi’s Desk column, I find myself in the flow of decades. Yes, this week officially begins our journey as rabbi and congregation – fellow community travelers surfing the joys and inevitable oys of living Jewishly. But it’s not Shir Ami’s start – not by decades.
Honoring Where We’ve Been
We stand together as next links in an unbroken chain that began with Rabbi Vicki Axe, who founded Shir Ami in the early 2000s and inspired her first 15 years… then the leadership of Cantor Jill Abramson (now dean of HUC’s cantorial school, the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music)… then illustrious prayer leader Cantor Ellen Dreskin… then the skillful transition leadership of Rabbi David Levy.
I honor all of Shir Ami’s community leaders who brought Shir Ami forward, inspired by the Sacred that – in the words of the Sheheheyanu liturgy – “gave [Shir Ami] life, and sustained us, and brought us to this season.” I am tremendously grateful for their vision, care and sheer stamina, and honored to step forward to continue Shir Ami’s proud history. Thank you, Shir Ami, for the privilege of becoming your rabbi.
Looking Forward (and Pretending We’re Not)
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,” wrote Gershwin (Porgy and Bess). July brings Shir Ami into relative summer ease and slow going. Our beachside “Shabbat by the Sea” will be July 28 at Tod’s Point in Greenwich. If the weather holds, our next indoor gathering won’t be until Erev Rosh Hashanah on September 15.
Which means we’re roughly 10 weeks before the High Holy Days. Which means I’m starting to think about the High Holy Days, and you’re probably in denial.
Yep, it’s too early. It’s always too early. And some of you will stop reading right here.
Yet there’s a sweet summer spirituality to July’s denial – and I adore that Judaism “gets it.” Already days are starting to shorten, even if we hardly notice (denial!). So too Judaism starts leaning toward autumn, wise that that we’d rather not. But if Judaism’s Season of Meaning began with Rosh Hashanah itself, we’d run headlong into a brick wall, unready to fully accept the invitations of depth and height until, perhaps, the High Holy Days are over.
That’s why Judaism wisely encodes a long and slow 10-week spiritual runway, starting with denial itself. (Shameless plug: This journey is the subject of Shir Ami’s seven-session series, “This is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared: A Journey into the Season of Meaning,” starts July 11. Click here for information and registration).
For some, Judaism’s 10-week time landmarks en route to the High Holy Days feel like “too much” For me, too (and I’m the rabbi!). There’s an inherent “too much” feel to it all, which can strengthen the impulse of denial: “Leave me to summer sunsets, beach days, vacations and easy times. All that serious stuff can wait!”
So I love that Judaism is wise to itself, and so offers us a long and very slow runway:
- 17 Tammuz (this year, July 5-6) commemorates the Roman Empire’s first knock through Jerusalem’s city walls in the year 70 CE. The journey of teshuvah (repentance, return) begins slowly, subtly knocking on our own walls long before we’re ready. Inwardly, we need time for denial: there’s deep spiritual purpose in turning away, then turning back.
- Tisha b’Av (this year, July 26-27) mourns the destructions of Jewish history, especially the Temples but also medieval exiles, the start of World War I, and numerous Holocaust calamities). On this lowest day of the Jewish year, tradition invites us to let ourselves break – for a reason. In the beautiful words of Leonard Cohen’s Anthem, “There’s a crack in everything: that’s how the light gets in.”
- Shabbat Nachamu (this year July 28-29, our “Shabbat by the Sea”) is the first of seven Shabbatot of comfort ascending to Rosh Hashanah. The descent of Tisha b’Av is for the sake of ascent. It’s a celebration aiming us toward Rosh Hashanah seven weeks later.
- Rosh Hodesh Elul (this year August 16-17, another Shir Ami outdoor Shabbat) kicks off the Month of Elul. We’ll hear shofar for the first time. A tiny bit of High Holy Day music will sneak in, gently rousing us. We begin more introspection and preparations.
- Selichot (this year September 9-10) typically is the last Saturday night before Rosh Hashanah. Jewishly speaking, the outgoing year’s final week begins with depth, music and more preparatory ritual. (Stay tuned for Selichot opportunities in the area.)
So here we are, at the very start of a journey. My mind and heart leap toward the Season of Meaning, and also revel in this sweet early summer moment, both in equal measure. I cherish this moment with deep gratitude for everything and everyone that made Shir Ami’s who she is. I savor the now, and slowly begin first steps into a future I can barely imagine.
Welcome to July, Shir Ami, and happy summer! See you soon.
David Evan Markus 