While the coming High Holidays 5785 are late compared to 5784 – we celebrate Rosh Hashanah on October 2/3 and Yom Kippur ten days later on October 11/12 – preparations have already been underway for quite some time. I met with chazzan Marty Eisenstein throughout the summer, preparing each detail of our services, balancing tradition with a measure of innovation. We are looking forward to Marty’s inspiring and familiar presence. A detailed program will soon be posted on our website and registrations will open. Our location will be the same as 5784.
We are also looking forward to welcoming student rabbi Uriel Aiskovich who will join us for Yom Kippur and lead the afternoon services. Uri is already a familiar face at IJC. He helped guide our annual retreat in early July, and we will see him again soon online when he will lead the Selichot Service from Berlin, with Marty in Athens, on September 28 (7 pm).
On September 4, Uri inspired us with a creative online celebration of Rosh HaShanah LaBehemot. This was a first for IJC, and it might seem like a modern innovation, but Uri reminded us that it has a long history. We know that Judaism has four new years: the first of Nisan is the new year for kings and for festivals; the first of the month of Tishrei is the new year for years, for shmitah (sabbaticals) and yovel (jubilee) years, for planting and for [the tithe of] vegetables. The first of Shvat is the new year for [fruit] trees (Hillel says the 15th – hence Tu BiShvat). But the first of Elul, the month that guides us towards the Days of Awe, is the new year for animals.
So we took this opportunity to highlight the animals in our lives, animals we embrace as part of our multi-species families, animals who give and receive affection and warmth. We named them as family members and told stories of how they came into our lives. We said a special misheberach for their health and well being, and included them in the traditional evening hashkivenu prayer, inviting Adonai to spread over us all, especially our pets, God’s shelter of wellbeing/shalom as we sleep. We were few in number, only 10 humans, but a multitude of animals and fond memories of deceased animals filled our online space.
The prophet Jonah – who features prominently in our Mincha service on Yom Kippur – wasn’t convinced that preaching God’s word to the wicked city of Nineveh and its inhabitants would make much of a difference, so he famously ran off in the opposite direction and tried to avoid his God-given mission. In the end he did what God asked him, and the people of Nineveh repented, all of them great and small, including the animals. Let’s embrace our animal friends this year as they accompany us on our journey to the Days of Awe.
Rabbi Brian
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