Mem Moment | Loving Reflections, Loving Intentions
Rosh Chodesh Elul /
Rosh Hashanah LaBehemot “New Year of The Animals”
As Rosh Chodesh Elul approaches, we begin to reflect back on our previous year, doing the work of חשבון הנפש, cheshbon hanefesh, the accounting of our souls, alongside the work of reflecting on the previous year as a whole. This past year, there has been a lot of chaos in our world, from war, to climate disasters, to political upheaval, and more. There has, however, also been so much goodness: new scientific discoveries; new music, films, and arts of all kinds; Coca-Cola has finally re-released Diet Cherry Coke and Kellanova finally makes gluten-free Cheez-its; Spain won the World Cup (and Scotland qualified for the first time in years!); and Jacob Tierney literally invented the concept of love with the release of Heated Rivalry.
A famous and somewhat overused teaching about Elul is that its name stands for the quote from Shir HaShirim, אני לדודי ודודי לי, ani l’dodi v’dodi li, I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. I ask you this year to think imaginatively about this idea. Who are your beloveds? To whom are you beloved? What do you love? And how do you care for them and it? What experiences, encounters, arts, people have made you feel loving and loved this past year? And what experiences, encounters, arts, people do you want to love better and be loved by more this coming year?
For me this past year, I have felt expansive love for humanity at a Mumford and Sons’ concert; love for my friends and chosen family during afternoons drinking Cherry Diet Coke by the pool; love for Judaism through my teaching and relationships with the Jewish Learning Collab; love for myself on evening walks listening to Sunrise on the Reaping, the newest installment of The Hunger Games series (read it!!!). In the coming year, I intend to feel love for the future of Judaism through my new role as a Jewish Life Specialist; to feel love for my country through supporting immigrants and refugees in my community; to feel love for the earth by spending more intentional time in nature. What about you?