Rabbi Jennifer Lewis

L’shana tovah tikateyvu, Happy New Year, and may you be inscribed for good in the coming year!

I’m looking forward to returning to Terre Haute to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Days of Awe, and the coming year, 5786, with the United Hebrew Congregation community!

We have entered the Hebrew month of Elul, the month during which tradition teaches us to begin hearing the call of the shofar and to prepare for the upcoming High Holy Days (the Days of Awe) of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

During this month of preparation, we can take concrete actions to prepare. And our preparation goes beyond planning a menu for Rosh Hashanah dinner and finding a good recipe for honey cake (though I encourage you to do that as well, and please share if you have a good one!). Preparation means we can begin in earnest a process called heshbon hanefesh — an accounting of our souls.

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As we prepare to celebrate Passover together, beginning the evening of Saturday, April 12, we also note the start of the Hebrew month of Nisan. The trees and flowers are finally blooming in Terre Haute (and Cincinnati)! The Festival of Freedom will soon be upon us.

And yet, the transitional period from Winter to Spring, beautiful as it may be, comes with its challenges. Allergy season is here, for one! But seriously, as Winter fades and Summer is on the horizon, I am reminded of the wisdom of Rabbi Nachman of Brazlov : “The world is a narrow bridge; the most important thing is not to fear at all.”

Our tradition celebrates our journey from enslavement to freedom, also a time of great uncertainty. Moving from any profound period of change—from stability to uncertainty—can be frightening. This is true whether that change is economic, political, social, personal or spiritual.

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As we enter the joyous month of Adar, and in honor of the upside-down silliness often accompanying the holiday of Purim, I asked artificial Intelligence (a.k.a. “AI”) to come up with a Torah teaching for our next Shabbat together that combined sitting in a Starbucks and writing this month’s newsletter. Here is a snippet of the Al version:

“This week, as I sit in a cozy corner of my local Starbucks, I find myself reflecting on Parashat Ki Tisa and its timeless teachings. The bustling environment around me, filled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee and the soft hum of conversations, provides an ideal backdrop for contemplating the profound messages within this portion. Ki Tissa reminds us of the essential balance between our spiritual commitments and earthly responsibilities, a theme that feels particularly relevant in our fast-paced, modem lives.”

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