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Greetings from Hong Kong, where I am spending a few weeks visiting with my daughter, son-in-law, and grandsons. It’s been so much fun celebrating Sukkot and Simchat Torah with our grandsons on the other side of the world.

High Holiday letter, Entering 5785 (Part Two)

I love Yom Kippur. I know that probably sounds weird to most folks, but it’s true. I love it because the day feels meaningful from start to finish. It’s a whole day of introspection and togetherness and song, and these are a few of my favorite things.

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Preparations are fully underway for our High Holy Day services and programs. I am looking forward to worshiping with you very soon. It is always wonderful to welcome you to our beautiful sanctuary. Thanks to those of you who have already RSVP’d for services.

A Gathering of Sparks: Becoming One People, One Voice; for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5785.

The guest post is the D’var Torah that CBI member & cantorial soloist Ziva Larson offered at Erev Rosh Hashanah Evening Service on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

“…Our year’s most sacred season is almost upon us! I’m writing to share a bit about what to expect at this year’s high holidays. As always, some things will be timeless and familiar, while others will be new.

This is part one of a two-part series on this year’s Days of Awe; the second part will appear in the October newsletter…”

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As summer turns to fall, we are getting our classrooms ready to welcome our students to an exciting new year of Jewish Journeys. We spent time this summer organizing our library and kitchen. We prepared for the busy season ahead. Rabbi Rachel, cantorial soloist Ziva Larson, and our choir are hard at work preparing for the High Holidays.

5 Steps to Repair; from On Repentance and Repair by Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg. If you can harm, you can heal. 1) Own the harm you caused – no excuses. 2) Start to change – do the work. 3) Make amends. 4) Apologize – for real. 5) Next time, make a different choice.

One of my favorite things that I’m doing right now is co-teaching a class called “Repentance and Repair” with Rabbi David Markus. As some of you know, we started off by assigning a little bit of spiritual homework.