Dear Congregation Beth Israel members and friends,

I’m always reluctant to face the reality that summer will eventually end. I love the slower pace of a season without the pressures of school days. I love the vibrant green of our hills at this time of year. I love the profusion of produce (yes, even the excess of zucchini). I love the long days and warm evening light. If I could freeze time right here and now, I might be tempted to do it! Maybe fortunately, that power hasn’t been offered to me, so days keep ticking by at their usual pace. One of my consolations this month, at least, is knowing that as we approach the fall I get to co-teach a really fantastic class.

The seven weeks between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Hashanah are a time of spiritual preparation for the high holidays – or at least, they can be. They’re a time to think about who we’ve been, what qualities we need to cultivate, and the work we might need to do in heart and soul before the new year begins. You might think of them as a spiritual warmup for the inner work of the Days of Awe, a time to limber up our hearts and souls and open ourselves to being changed.

This year I’m co-teaching a seven week class on Zoom beginning on the day after Tisha B’Av (the first class is 7pm on Tuesday, August 13) that will help us take advantage of this unique corridor of time. We’ll also be reading and discussing Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg’s On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World, a new classic that draws on ancient teachings about what repentance and repair can actually mean for us.

The class will be co-taught by me and my longtime friend and collaborator R. David Markus. It is free for members of CBI and members of Congregation Shir Ami, the shul he serves in Connecticut. (Non-members are also welcome to take part; tuition is $120 for anyone who’s not yet part of the synagogue community.)

Each week we’ll discuss one chapter of R. Danya’s book, learning about teshuvah (repentance / turning our lives around) in contexts ranging from personal relationships to the public square to the atonement work whole nations might need to do. We’ll interweave that with a journey “up the ladder” through seven qualities our tradition teaches we share with God – presence, resilience, strength, and more – mirroring the Omer count from last spring. There will be opportunities for conversation and discussion, time to delve deep into the steps of teshuvah, and thought-provoking spiritual questions to spark new insights among all who choose to take part.

Rabbi David and I have spent the last several weeks creating a brand-new curriculum for this class. I think this has the potential to be one of the most meaningful classes I’ve offered in my thirteen years (so far) of the rabbinate! I’m looking so forward to teaching it that I almost don’t mind the knowledge that it’ll take us through summer’s end. (Almost.)

Summer’s not quite done yet, though. I hope to see many of y’all at our annual Tanglewood picnic and concert. Get your own tickets to see Yo-Yo Ma and RSVP on our website so we know how to reach you and tell you where we’ve set up our blankets on the grass! Here’s to savoring the season while we’ve got it, even as we prepare ourselves for everything that comes next.

Blessings to all for a sweet August,

— Rabbi Rachel