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This is a season of possibility.
As the High Holy Days approach, we enter a sacred pause—a time to reflect, to return, and to begin again. It is a season that calls on us to imagine something better, not only for ourselves but for our community and our world.
This year has not been easy. Many of us carry personal burdens—grief, exhaustion, uncertainty. Our nation, too, feels frayed. The divisions in our country seem deeper than ever. The countless lives lost to sinat chinam, senseless hatred, in Israel, Gaza, and in countless corners of our world have become everyday news. In the face of all this, it is tempting to harden our hearts and turn away.
But Jewish tradition and the High Holy Day season offer a different path.
“She is a tree of life to those who hold her strongly, and whoever holds fast to her is happy.” (Proverbs 3:18)
These words remind us that when we immerse ourselves in Torah and the Jewish community, we can find strength, joy, and a renewed sense of purpose. Trees remind us of what it means to live fully: deeply, strongly rooted, yet always reaching joyfully.
In these Days of Awe, we are called to root ourselves—firmly grounding in our values, our community, and our tradition. This grounding gives us the stability to navigate a world that often feels unsteady.
Yet we are also called to reach—toward forgiveness, toward healing, toward becoming our best selves. Just as trees extend their branches to the sky, we too are meant to grow, to stretch, and to aspire. Teshuvah, the act of return, is not simply a turning back; it is a reaching forward—outward and upward toward who we are meant to be.
May we enter this season of introspection with humility, courage, and hope. As we simultaneously ground and grow toward a new year, may our roots grow deeper, our reach extend farther, and our lives be filled with a sense of renewal and purpose.
Shanah Tovah—wishing you a year of healing, peace, and new beginnings.
Molly Weisel, Senior Rabbi
Dusty Klass, Rabbi
Andy Held, President
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