Depending on your take, we are either at the end of the holidays (no more Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur) or we are in the middle of them (Sukkot, Sh’mini Atzeret, & Simhat Torah, here we come!). There are good reasons for both opinions. For those who see us at the end of the holidays, nothing can beat the majesty, the aura, and solemnity of the High Holiday experience (especially after hearing our organ at work on Kol Nidre!). Though it may be a short time, it is an intense time and, especially after Norman’s moving Yizkor Address, reminds us why we’re Jews.

• Organ playing Kol Nidre
• Cantor Bronwen Mullin’s version of Kol Nidre
• Rabbi Saks’ Kol Nidre Sermon: The Value of Saying “I’m Sorry”
• Immediate Past President Norman Silverstein’s Yizkor Appeal
• Rabbi Saks’ Yom Kippur Sermon: When Expectations Don’t Jive with Reality

For those who see us in the middle of the holiday season, the serious work of the High Holidays can only be truly integrated into our lives with the joy, beauty, and fun of Sukkot, Sh’mini Atzeret, & Simhat Torah. Yes, there is a little High Holiday resonance in these holidays (especially during Hoshanah Rabbah (the last day of Sukkot) and Sh’mini Atzeret (when we prayer for rain), but as a whole these holidays remind us that at the core of being Jewish is enjoying the fruits of our labor, celebrating as a community, and rejoicing in our shared heritage and teachings. These joyous moments also remind us why we’re Jews.

• Sukkot Prep Rally & Celebration with FREE Dinner for first 40 RSVPs!
• All the Holidays Celebration with Dinner cooked by the community ($10 buy in)

Regardless though of whether or not you think we’re at the end of the holiday season, it’s very clear what these holidays remind us of: that being Jewish never ends…and that’s a good thing!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Ari Saks