Rabbi's Corner... A Message From the Rabbi With the onset of September we usher in the Hebrew month of Elul. The sages interpret the name of Elul as an acronym, with its Hebrew letters Aleph, Lamed, Vav, Lamed representing “Ani L'Dodi V'Dodi Li – I am my beloved and my beloved is mine" (Song of Songs: 6:3). This acronym offers an apt backdrop for the month of preparation for the Days of Awe. As we shake off the scattered days of summer and recommit to the routine of work and school, the month of Elul directs us to focus on our relationships. Lest we get buried in the onslaught of the demands and details the fall season brings, Elul reminds us that everything we do is in relationship to others. Thus Elul directs us to consider the way our lives are bound to one another. Instead of looking at “me,” the holy season of preparation turns us to the “we.” Not to our personal goals for achievement this year, but to what we can accomplish by joining together with others, at work, in community, and at home. Elul calls us day by day to return to our family and loved ones. When we reconcile with those we have offended, it is our closest loved ones who have felt most keenly the pain of our shortcomings, and who most need to hear our sincere contrition. So, too, the acronym of Elul reminds us of the holy nature of the partnership we share with our beloved. It asks how we nurture and uphold the sanctity of those relationships. Elul also calls us to recommit to the circles of friends, co-workers, and community that connect us to humanity. We walk in partnership in our daily routines with so many who support us, challenge us, and keep us engaged. Temple Beth Or, your congregation, fulfills its mission as a sacred community when our members join in relationship for worship, study, healing, and celebration. The Holy Days ask us to account for how we live in relationship to those around us, and from those relationships with others to reflect our relationship with the Divine. Jeffrey, Joshua, Jacob, and I feel blessed with the multitude of relationships we share in our Beth Or community. We look forward to continuing to cultivate those bonds in the year to come. Rabbi Lucy H.F. Dinner
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