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Come Home for the High Holy Days

Like any good homecoming, it starts Sept. 20 with the preparation of our Home, changing of the Torah covers to white, a lovely Torah Service and hamish  bagel brunch.  That afternoon we can join our Religious School families who will be camping at Goose Creek State Campground , for Tashlich at the river.  (EVERYONE is invited—2pm)

Actually, the High Holy Days started here in Greenville 50 years ago.  How many generations are we now?  Here we are, half a century later, still spreading lox on bagels, changing Torah covers and watching the kids run in the back yard.  If you haven’t been to Temple lately, you must come.  Our roots in this region just grow deeper and wider every year, decade, half century later.  We aim to include everyone, young and slightly older.

I am very grateful.

This year, Rosh Hashanah Services start at 7pm Sept. 22, (Monday night) then 10am Tuesday morning.  There will be people you know and some new faces:  new members and families.  Young adults that you might try to match to a child’s face from a few years back.  I’m teaching Intro to the Old Testament at ECU this semester and my students are coming to see the TORAH IN ACTION and will stay to have a firsthand look after the service.  (They don’t know it yet, but one of their classmates will be chanting Torah.  Surprise!)  They seem a little nervous and but excited to come.  I’m happy for them to see our lovely sanctuary, to get a feel for our sacred Tradition.  Hear the ram’s horn!  (Abbie, do you think you’d give them a demonstration?)

Then, because we can’t eat together too many times in a season (and perhaps we have so many sins to cast away) we will have another Tashlich and Dairy Pot Luck at Wildwood Park, 4pm Sat. Sept. 27.  The little pond is so lovely, the leaves will already be turning.  The kids how many inches higher.    

The lovely, haunting Kol Nidrei will be sung 7pm Oct. 1, with the full day of Yom Kippur Services following the next morning.  (Some of my students will come for this service as well.)  After the am service, the sanctuary will reopen at 3 for meditation.  I’ll be there if anyone would like to talk.  At 4 we’ll have text study, Mincha prayers at 5, Yizkor at 6, Neilah then the always blessed Sisterhood Break Fast.

Then, that Sunday, Sept. 5, we build our (new) Sukkah.  Remembering our Wandering,  next half-century here in Eastern North Carolina begins. 

The harvest continues to be rich.  Welcome home.  And Happy New Year.

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