by Rabbi Judy Weiss
Ps. 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my rescue. Whom should I fear?"
For an entire month before Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we focus on atoning and returning to God. But what exactly, in real life terms, does atoning and returning to God mean? We plan our path to return by adding Psalm 27 to our daily prayers. This psalm repeatedly affirms hope in God. It ends with:
Ps 27:14 "Let your heart be firm and bold, and hope for the Lord."
As Robert Alter comments, the Psalm opens and closes with the same sentiment "It begins by affirming trust in God ...
by Daniel Kieval
What is the shape of time? This question may sound strange, but it actually guides us to understand the process of teshuvah, our great task at this time of year.
In one dimension, time is circular, repeating in endless cycles. “And the seasons they go round and round…” Every year in the natural calendar, the same seasonal patterns repeat at the same times. In the Jewish calendar, we observe the same holidays, rituals, and rhythms each year. In the process of teshuvah we return to our self, coming home to who we were before ...
