DRASH – ROSH HASHANAH

Rabbi Dr. Orna Triguboff

Emanuel Synagogue

Shalom friends,

As we approach Rosh Hashanah, we often speak about the Jewish New Year as a time of new beginnings. Yet the deeper invitation of these days is not simply to begin again, but to see again.

The Hebrew word teshuvah is usually translated as “repentance,” but its deeper meaning is “return.” In the language of Kabbalah, we are invited to return to the source of our soul. It is the essence of who we are, yes sometimes we get so busy with our to do list that we lose our connection with that source.

The mystics teach that beneath the surface of existence there is a hidden Divine light. We may become distracted from it, but the light itself does not disappear. Perhaps this is the true promise of Rosh Hashanah: we can always return to that inner light.

The shofar is central to this awakening. Its sound is ancient and wordless. It does not explain or instruct. It reaches somewhere deeper than ordinary language. The Kabbalists understood the shofar as a call that awakens the soul and stirs the Divine Presence, the shechinah, within us.

As we hear its sound, perhaps we can allow ourselves to become quiet enough to listen inwardly. The Zohar – the Book of Radiance – teaches that after we hear the sound of the shofar, there is a moment of silence and in that silence, the “still small voice” within us can be heard.

What is calling to be awakened within me?

The New Year also invites us to consider the places in our lives where the Divine light has become obscured. Where have we become disconnected from ourselves, from others, or from God? Where have we allowed fear, anger, disappointment or habit to cover the light that is still shining within us?

Teshuvah is not about becoming perfect. It is about removing the layers that prevent us from seeing who we truly are.

The Kabbalistic tradition teaches that the world is continually sustained by Divine energy. Every breath, every person, every moment contains a spark of holiness. On Rosh Hashanah, as the year turns, we are given an opportunity to become conscious participants in this renewal.

Perhaps we can enter the New Year with a different question not simply, “What do I want to change?”, but “What Divine light within me is waiting to emerge?”

May we have the courage to face what needs healing, the compassion to forgive ourselves and others, and the openness to recognise the holiness that surrounds us.

May the shofar awaken our hearts.

Shanah tovah u’metukah.

May the coming year bring blessing, healing and peace to each of us, to our community, to Israel, and to all humanity.