Elul 6 - Chutzpah - by Josh Wallach

I'm fortunate to be one of 20 Jewish lay leaders in St. Louis chosen as part of the first Wexner Heritage program cohort our city has seen in 28 years.  In the beginning of August, we, along with 2 others' cities participants attended a week long introductory retreat in Aspen CO where we studied under the guidance of some of the most respected Jewish educators in the world.  Our intense study will be ongoing for 2 years, culminating with graduation in Israel in 2017.  It is my honor to share with you a subject which will hopefully allow us to examine our role in the world in the year to come.

Chutzpah.  Perhaps we've said of someone, "Wow, he's got chutzpah!"  Or, "That took chutzpah!" What exactly is chutzpah?  Irrepressible strength.  Empowerment, responsibility for the world.  As Jews, we are taught to challenge, to ask the difficult questions that others may not ask (maybe not even our fellow Jews as only the wicked son asks such a question at the Passover Seder), to challenge God in the face of adversity (matters of nature are exempt as these are circumstances beyond our control).  Biblically, we see this when Abraham stands up for his fellow Israelites in Genesis 18 and challenges God's plan to wipe out the city of Sodom.   Abraham, now in a covenantal relationship with God, does exactly what God has asked of him, to challenge God as he plans to wipe out the innocent along with the guilty.  Abraham acted as a blessing, knowing his role was to bring justice to the world around him, to fight, to demand justice: "Will you sweep away the innocent along with the guilty?...far be it from you!  Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"  As Jews, we are commanded to fight for matters of social justice, to challenge the wrong in the world, and while it may tire us out, we are acting as God has commanded.

With the days of Elul upon us, we have the opportunity to examine if we have acted justly, with dignity, in the way that God has commanded us to be a blessing to our fellow man.  To be Jewish we must consider that we are measured not by our material things, but by our ability to take action, to be a blessing to those who cannot fight for themselves, to ask those difficult questions and fight for justice in the world.  Being Jewish is not easy, it can be tiring, it takes chutzpah.

Shanah Tova, a happy and sweet new year, wishing all of us a year of peace and happiness, and a year of fighting for what needs to be righted in the world, a year full of chutzpah!

Respectfully,

Josh Wallach

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Elul 5 - Hitlamdut - by Val Toskin

“Man learns through experience, and the spiritual path is full of different kinds of experiences.  He will encounter many difficulties and obstacles, and they are the very experiences he needs to encourage and complete the cleansing process.”  --Sai Baba

Elul is my favorite month of the Jewish calendar.  Not because it gives me time to apologize to those I hurt but because Judaism gives me daily opportunities to do Teshuva, to return to a better me, to refocus on the essential, and to start anew.  I wake up to “Modah Ani”, and thank Adonai for another chance almost daily.  Elul is another opportunity to readjust myself.  

Elul is my month of Hitlamdut: the month I reflect on the experiences of the year, how they affected me, and what I learned from them.  It is the month I assess where I spend my time and decide if it is in the right place.  Based on those reflections, during Elul, I open my heart to change and transformation.

I try to keep the “gems” from the past year close to heart.  I prepare my list of all those things I may need to let go off, and I write my hopes for the year to come.

So, here are some of my “gems”:

• I have the best supportive husband and children who did not hesitate to embark on the new adventure of fostering two new siblings. They held my hand when it was time to say goodbye, they encouraged my new career adventure, and challenged me when I was wrong. 
• Mindfulness practices became part of my life.  I often take breathing breaks, set intentions for my meetings, and try to stay in the moment when I pray, sing, recite a blessing, pet our dogs, or talk to friends, kids, and family members.
• I still love teaching.  
• I can still afford a good cup of coffee.

In the weeks to come, this list will become longer.

Elul is my month of Hitlamdut.  What does it mean to you?

Val Toskin

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Elul 4 - by Rabbi Goldstein

In Aramaic, the word elul means searching.  Here in the month of Elul we begin to search our souls and make an accounting of all the ways we have fallen short this past year.  We do not do this because Judaism wants us to feel badly about ourselves – but just the opposite.  Judaism gives us this time to reflect in order to better ourselves – to make the effort to become more loving, more generous, more just.  Often we do not take full advantage of the gift that Judaism offers us in this month of Elul because we are comfortable enough with our lives as they are.  Or perhaps the process of looking at our lives and souls in such an honest and “stripped of all pretenses” way moves us from a place of relative comfort to a place of great discomfort … and who among us wants to be uncomfortable if we don’t have to.

But here we are in Elul … and it is time for each of us to start feeling a little uncomfortable. Uncomfortable at how quickly we judge others without fully knowing them, or judge a situation without knowing all the facts.  Uncomfortable with how easily our attention gets diverted from those who need us most.  Uncomfortable with the way we deflect responsibility for the ills of the world by blaming them on politicians, or the rich, or the poor … or anyone but ourselves. Uncomfortable with the compromises we have made. Uncomfortable with the silences we keep in the face of increasing violence, injustice and despair.

In order to begin this move from comfort to discomfort, Judaism invites us to use these days of Elul to rededicate ourselves to a spiritual practice.  For some of us this might mean daily prayer or meditation.  For others, this might mean journaling or spending time outdoors in nature's beauty.  A traditional practice involves reading Psalm 27, a prayer beseeching God not to abandon us, no matter how far from God's presence we may feel.

There are a number of translations and interpretations of Psalm 27, but Rabbi Brant Rosen's interpretation speaks to the longings of my heart, and helps me to open my heart more fully each day.

Rabbi Andrea Goldstein

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