Teshuvah: from survival to meaning

Shanah Tovah!
High Holidays are just about upon us, and I am looking forward to sharing a joyous and inspiring New Year’s season together. I am looking forward to seeing everyone over the holiday season, as well as at the classes and other programs we are planning after that.
Rav Kook, the first chief rabbi of Israel, taught that teshuvah doesn’t only mean repentance, correcting faults from the past. It a trajectory of “turning” toward God, and can be done even when there is no particular sin or omission we are repenting for. Rabbi Avi Weiss has described this in terms of Zig Ziglar’s description of the human trajectory from survival to success to significance. Teshuvah is the motion from survival to success to significance.
Each of us, in our own lives, starts out trying to get by, trying to make a living. Moving out, we need to pay the rent, we need to make sure we know how to cook, at least how to boil an egg. That’s survival. Then we hopefully try to find a career which fits us well, many of us build a family, develop our lifelong friendships. This is success. After this we have room to ask the big questions: what am I accomplishing with my life? What benefit is my career, my existence, for others? This is leading a significant life, a life that makes an impact on others.
Israel, too, goes through these stages, to some extent simultaneously. Israel’s survival has always been threatened by her neighbors. In 1967 and in 1973, she was threatened and won, creating both a sense of hubris and also a realization of how precarious her existence is. Now Israel’s existence is threatened by Iran’s nuclear weapon program, and destroying Israel would make Iran the hero of the Arab world would. Survival is always an issue.
Israel has also thrived, especially recently in the high-tech boom: Israel has more companies listed on the NYSE than all countries except the US and China. Tel Aviv is a major development center for Microsoft and other high tech companies, trailing only Silicon Valley. Israel is a thriving, innovative success story.
And Israel is also an amazing country from a level of significance, what kind of values she embodies as a country. What other country, after conquering a territory (the West Bank), would let the original residents remain in their homes in peace and relative autonomy? In what other country would an airplane turn back to the gate to pick up a child for summer camp? Inbar Chomsky, a 7-year old child with cancer, missed her flight to the US for summer camp this past August, because she couldn’t find her passport. When another child on the aircraft found it in their own backpack, the airplane turned back to the gate to fetch Inbar. Where else would that happen?
Our synagogue, too, is climbing this ladder. We are surviving, with the hard work of our board, Cantor Schwartz, Menachem Kaisler, and all of our devoted volunteers. We are serving our congregants, offering daily minyan, different options on Shabbat, as well as a wonderfully fun weekly tot Shabbat. But can we become a synagogue of significance, where each of us strives not only to be served, but to serve each other? Can we be a place where our deepest Torah is lived through the way we relate to each other? This is the challenge of teshuvah.
I am looking forward to sharing a joyous and inspirational holiday season with you, and hope you take advantage of all the things we are offering throughout the upcoming year.
High Holiday Observances
Tashlich—at some point during the 10 days, we go to a body of water and symbolically cast in our sins. Bread is not so healthy to geese, so we should probably do it symbolically or with very small amounts. We will be doing Tashlich together on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, at the corner of Prospect park.
Kappores—it is customary to symbolically place one’s sins on a chicken, shecht it, and then donate it to a poor person. Kappores can also be done onto money and given to tzedakah.
Teshuvah—We should use this time to take stock of our personal habits, and identify ways we can improve. We should also try to reach out to people we may have hurt or offended, or who hurt us, or who just drifted away, to repair our relationships. Remember, according to the Ramchal, even such a reaction as not calling somebody because of something in the past is considered a forbidden grudge!
Selichot—we will say special selichot prayers each morning before shacharit.
Tzedakah—it is good to give extra tzedakah during this time. There is a custom to collect tzedakah right at the beginning of Kol Nidre, and I encourage you to bring either cash to deposit in the pushke on your way in.

When Yontiff and Shabbat are next to each other
Sukkot is right before Shabbat this year, which adds some complexity to the observance. We are allowed to cook on yontiff, but technically we should prepare for Shabbat before yontiff. The solution is to prepare an eruv tavshilin, a small amount of cooked food (e.g. an egg and piece of bread) before yontiff. This food is for Shabbat, and shows that we started preparing for Shabbat before yontiff.
Candles--since we are allowed to transfer fire on yontiff but not on Shabbat, and we cannot light fire, we have a 24-hour candle burning during yontiff. On the night starting the 2nd day of yontiff, hadlakat nerot is later to ensure that it is truly the 2nd day. This is done by lighting a match from the existing candle, and lighting the yontiff candles (and a new 24-hour candle) from the existing flame. On Friday evening, however, hadlakat nerot is early to insure that we don’t light fire on Shabbat.

Sukkot Observance
It is a mitzvah to eat 14 meals in the Sukkah—in other words, at least lunch & dinner each day of the week. The more time we spend in it (learning, sleeping, etc.) the better. We also have a mitzvah to bensch lulav each day, so I strongly encourage you to participate in Mr. Kaisler’s lulav/etrog sale.
Sukkot are relatively easy to build; I recommend wood (using a power drill) or PVC (which just snaps together). The wall can be made of anything. The top needs to be made of natural material; cornstalks are ideal. If you do not have anywhere to build a sukkah, feel free to use our own lovely sukkah here at FJC; let me know when you will need it so we can be sure the building is open.