A Word From The Rabbi
Dear Friend,
Rosh Hashana started our year with a bang. Or may I say, a blast. With record crowds at all our three locations we look forward to serving the ever growing Jewish population here in Bucks County.
Stay tuned to next week's email for Sukkot and Simchat Torah celebration announcements.
For now, though, let's focus on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is an iconic day on the Jewish calendar. It is a day of prayer and introspection, a day of fasting; an opportunity for us all to repent and ask G‑d to atone for our sins. Yet there is a deeper meaning to the observance of this holy day, and as in previous years, we wish to share this inspiring message to set the tone for a meaningful and awe-inspiring day.
Every year, without fail, Yom Kippur comes around. It's as if G‑d expects us to sin, that there will always be those transgressions for which we will have to make amends, and He therefore placed on the calendar an annual Day of Atonement for everyone. What's the point?
If G‑d wanted perfection, He would have been perfectly happy sitting on His heavenly throne surrounded by angels or he might have created a man that can't sin. But G‑d desired something more, something better than perfection. He created this world, and in it placed the most imperfect of beings - humans. G‑d understands that we are not perfect, and He loves us for it.
G‑d wants to see us striving to improve, persevering against all the obstacles of the world in which we live, and in which He placed us. Nothing G‑d does is without reason, and the reason why we are here is to slip up; and to learn and grow from our mistakes.
Yom Kippur is a day given to us to celebrate, to rejoice over all those times that we fail at our mission here in this world, because those failings give us the opportunity to improve, and to grow stronger in our commitment.
Wishing you and yours a very meaningful Yom Kippur,
Rabbi Yudy Shemtov
Senior Rabbi/Executive Director