Tuesday, September 7, Rosh Hashanah. A beautiful morning – although Rosh Hashanah is early this year, there are still signs of fall – last month’s marsh mallows are sporting brown seed heads, fruits are setting on trees and shrubs, and the path is strewn with occasional yellowed leaves. In the middle east, summer’s heat is mediated some, and harvest season progresses, culminating in the Sukkot holiday, which happens at the full moon this month.
I struggled this month with what to say. On Shabbat this past week, a friend and I recounted, a little despairingly, the burdens of our times: terror and ignorance in Afghanistan, ignorance and blind grasping for power in Texas, fires and floods claiming cherished lives and decimating beloved places with no end in sight — the renewal of pandemic anxiety, grief and isolation. And these only scratch the surface, with conflict just about everywhere. It feels like an apocalypse, like we are at the beginning of a new Dark Age; what will become of us?
During the month of Elul, the past month leading up to the High Holy Days, we recited every day Psalm 27, a cry of faith in good that endures. Norman Fischer has penned a lovely Zen version:
You are my light and my help
Whom should I fear?
You are the fortress of my life
Whom should I dread?
—–
One thing I ask for, one thing I hope –
To live in your house
All the days of my life
To behold your loveliness
Every morning in the light of your temple dawn
—-
Hear my voice when I raise it up
Be gracious – answer me –
Speaking with your voice my heart sang,
Seek my presence
I will
—-
If I did not have faith in your rightness
That it would bloom in this living land –
It is unthinkable
I wait only for you
With strength and good courage –
I wait only for you[1]
During the High Holy Days, we look to renew the world and ourselves, in the face of whatever tragedy and conflict may be. We know that we are helped by faith in a Presence greater than we are, and that we are helped by taking action, together. While the balance of the two varies for each individual Self, may we all find ways to move the world toward good and rightness in this next challenging year. L’Shana Tovah! Wishing everyone a wonderful and meaningful holiday season of renewal of Self and community, and renewed commitment to good. – Kirby
Our next Rosh Chodesh walking meditation will be Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan, Thursday, October 7. We will honor the full moon of Tishrei, and the beginning of Sukkot, on Monday September 20. Both meetups are at 7:30 am, rain or shine. Contact us for location.
[1] Excerpted from Norman Fischer, Opening to You: Zen-Inspired Translations of the Psalms. Viking Compass, 2002.
Rosh Chodesh Cleveland 