As Rosh Hashanah begins, we should all take a deep breath, being mindful we are here once again while also sighing for all that we have suffered through, as Jews and Americans. Every part of our being has been impacted by economic, cultural, ecological, technological, political, and religious chaos. Our sense of safety and security feels distant, our country as a home feels remote, and the treasure that is Israel is marred by some questionable actions and ongoing conflict which at times is self-imposed. Who hasn’t questioned – what can I depend on, which institutions will survive, will the Jewish community continually be splintered, and whether democracy and decency will survive?
The world is changing at an incredible pace, and we wonder can we keep up? Watching driverless cars, little boxed robots rolling down the street, Ai infiltrating our communications and technology, and even a robotic nurse’s assistant greeting me at Cedars, I feel I’m living the science fiction movies of decades ago. Our world is aflame, jolted by earthquakes and lately gushing with water and mud causing damage and death to many. And as many of us are facing change and our own aging, we are challenged to find moments in our lives when the glass really feels ½ full instead of ½ empty. These Holy Days give us an opportunity to share this as a community, to acknowledge and express our most powerful feelings and do it together. There is comfort in that.
I have been practicing Qi Gong and even created some mindful movements that relate more to Jewish spiritual practice, using words and Kabbalistic language to create more meaning and relevancy for me and those I teach. These practices help me withstand the turmoil and be a ‘spiritual warrior,’ to sustain myself and be protected from the continuous trauma of living in a world full of chaos and unexpected natural disasters. To live with a ‘shield,’ of resiliency. When I started my cantorial studies my mentor said, “You are joining Gd’s army!” But each person needs to be a warrior, courageous and protecting their values, their home, their family, their very being. The somatic power of this kind of practice renews, re-energizes, calms, and heals my nerves and emotions so impacted by the realities I have just outlined. Some of these can’t be changed, at least not quickly or immediately, but we must be strengthened in spiritual practices, religious engagement and joy, and mind/body resilience, to truly be an Etz Chayyim, a Tree of Life. The storms of change and the winds of challenge may rail against us but we must remain sturdy, centered, and grounded, ready for the onslaught and the unexpected. We need to conquer new ways for the New Year that will expand and deepen our strategies and skill, accessible pathways for renewed expression of our souls, impervious to the evil surrounding us.
First, we must unload the unwanted toxic feelings, attitudes, and habits that only sabotage us and prevent accessing new ways of being. We must cleanse the hurts and the relationships to bring reconciliation and healing. Perhaps write on paper, that which must go and cast it in the water along with all the symbolical crumbs at Tashlich and then listen to the ‘still small voice,’ guiding, with intention, to moments of enriching and nourishing activities, create, dance/move, learn, volunteer, sing/listen to music, be curious or write your story; connect with Gd by being your truest self.
In the service we chant and fear “Who will live and who will die.’ Better to focus on ‘how’ we live and not who or when it might happen. Trust there is a grander scheme and Gd is in charge of that. Psalm 90 tells us to ‘count our days,’ I say, ‘make our days count,’ dedicated to enhancing the quality of our lives, using spiritual tools to hold ourselves steady, to nourish our souls, and have our mind, body, and spirit align and be unified. This should be our purpose for the coming year.
I want to wish you all a new year of possibilities, of opening your heart and soul, becoming even more expansive, more giving, and internally strong. Be a Jewish spiritual warrior.
Rabbi/Cantor Eva Robbins is co-Rabbi Nvay Shalom, and Faculty, AJRCA.
