Dear all,
I so eagerly looked forward to my train journey across the United States. I imagined long stretches of time to read, write sermons for the Holy Days, and catch up on just about everything.
Instead, I found myself staring out the window, watching the wondrous, ever-changing landscape of our country.
My favorite place was the very back of the train, where I could see the tracks stretching behind me—the miles we had already traveled.
As we approach the final weeks of 5786, I found myself wondering: What if we looked at our year the same way?
Have I appreciated the journey?
Have I celebrated the stations along the way—the accomplishments, large and small?
Have I recognized where I have grown, and where I keep traveling the same stretch of track?
Have I nurtured the people who have shared this journey with me?
And at the junctions—those moments when I had to choose a direction—did I pause long enough to consider where I was headed?
The High Holy Days invite us to do something we rarely have the luxury to do:
Stop the train.
Look back.
And then, I walked to the front of the train and looked ahead at the tracks we had not yet traveled. The view was different. The window was a little blurrier. (Perhaps the path forward is never quite as clear.)
But the tracks were there.
And so were the possibilities.
As 5786 draws to a close, perhaps our task is not to know exactly where the tracks will take us, but to be more intentional about how we travel.
Because every year is a journey.
And every moment along the way is a potential moment in time.
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zachary R. Shapiro
