IN OUR TEFILOT, or prayers, for Rosh Hashana, we cite the verse, "Blow the shofar in the month (Tishrei) that is concealed to our festive holiday." (Psalms 81:4)

What is concealed here is the moon (B.T. Ba'itzah 16b). The luach, or Jewish calendar, is based on a lunar cycle — half moon from the right at one week, full moon from the right at two weeks, etc. Because the holiday of Rosh Hashana — the Day of Judgment — falls on the first day of Tishrei, the crescent of the moon from the right is still invisible, or concealed.

Why should this be so? Among the many reasons given by our rabbis of blessed memory, two explanations instruct that the Hebrew word "keseh" in the above verse translates not only as "concealed," but can also suggest the word "chair," or throne of judgment upon which the Holy One, Blessed Is He, sits on this Day of Judgment.

Additionally, on Rosh Hashana, the Holy One, Blessed Is He, is metaphorically full of compassion for his Jewish people and conceals our sins of the past year on this Day of Judgment.

May this New Year of 5768 be a year of prosperity, good health, and especially peace for us and the entire world.

A PERSONAL INTEREST piece ran on the evening news about a New Jersey man named "Mulligan." He and his brother worked for many years at a local golf course. When one of the golfers missed the ball or hit a divot and wanted the opportunity to redo the shot, they received the caddy's OK; hence, any "do-over" became known as a "Mulligan." Yet the question before us is: Are there any "Mulligans" in life? Most might be quick to answer "no," but classical Judaism suggests an alternative answer.

Each year when Rosh Hashana arrives, we have the opportunity to do "teshuva" — to repent. To turn our lives around, we need to regret our mistakes, vow not to make them again, and seek the means to move on and carry out our lives the way God would want us to. This may not be a complete "Mulligan," but when presented with a similar situation and we behave differently from in the past, then it is an occasion to recognize not only our repentance, but our right behavior as well.

Whether it's toward a spouse, parent, sibling, classmate, friend, or stranger, teshuva gives us the opportunity to right the wrong we have committed and to start afresh.

This Rosh Hashana, when you look back on the year that has passed, professionally and personally, and ask "If I could do it over…" you'll know you came across the Jewish Mulligan. Shana tova — Happy New Year.

L'SHANA TOVA — Happy New Year! I hope this year will be filled with good and strong connections. May we connect more closely to each other, to our heritage, to God, and to our highest aspirations. The mitzva of the shofar is a great model for such deep connections. The essence of the mitzva is to hear the shofar. Accordingly, our tradition teaches that one must be intent on hearing the sound of shofar when it is blown.

On the other side of the horn, the shofar blower must also be focused on blowing the shofar for the purpose of the mitzva (as opposed to practicing or simply playing around). We learn at least three things from these traditions. First, meaningful connection is a mutual experience. Just as the shofar requires a focused listener and blower, so too do we require mutually connected people to foster community. Second, strong connections don't just happen; they are the product of focus and intention. Physically speaking, the shofar makes the same noise with or without mitzva focus, but the deeper spiritual goal is not achieved without proper intention. The same is true for our interpersonal and other connections.

Finally, the foundation of any good, lasting connection rests on our openness and will to receive. Just as the essence of the shofar mitzva is in the hearing, so too must we open ourselves to receive the connections in our community, with God, and with our tradition. With such good connections, may we go from strength to strength. Gamar tov.

WHAT IS TRUE wealth? Consider this Jewish story.

Our masters taught: It is related of King Monobaz that during years of scarcity he spent all his own treasures and the treasures of his fathers on charity. His brothers and the other members of his family joined together in reproaching him: "Your fathers stored away treasures, adding to the treasures of their fathers, and you squander them!" He replied, "My fathers stored away for the world below, while I am storing away for the world above. My fathers stored away in a place where the hand of others can prevail, while I have stored away in a place where the hand of others cannot prevail. My fathers stored away something that produces no fruit, while I have stored away something that does produce fruit. My fathers stored away treasures of money, while I have stored away treasures of souls. My fathers stored away for others, while I have stored away for myself. My fathers stored away for this world, while I have stored away for the world to come." (Talmud Bavli, Bava Batra 11b)

This year, may we fully enjoy our greatest treasures — our loved ones and those who need us. Shana tova!

THE HIGH HOLY Days are a time of great anticipation and promise. We hope all the lousy things that happened this past year will disappear and all the good things that happened will continue.

However, if we approach the High Holy Days from that angle, the experience becomes one giant wishing game: Hope for the best, daven hard, do a few good deeds, make a contribution, then hopefully the bad things will disappear and the good things will multiply. If only life were that simple. Instead, the High Holy Days challenge us to travel a more complicated and spiritual path filled with meaning, compassion, and faith.

Here are some practical suggestions to help you confront the challenge.

Come to services without your watch — it's crucial to be "in the moment," to be mindful of the words we meditate upon.



Leave your expectations behind; do not expect to be entertained or inspired. Just come to services and be open to what unfolds.

Prepare: Consider where you are in your life, what it is you would like to change. Write down your life changes and post the paper where you will see it.



Prioritize: No one can do it all, but you can do some of it. The rabbis divide quality time into prayer, study, and acts of kindness. This year make Shabbat services a priority; come as often and as regularly as possible. Take a class. Keep your eyes open for mitzva opportunities throughout the year.

THE HIGH HOLY Day season forces us to reflect on who we are as Jews, especially as Reform Jews. These are the demands we make: first, that Judaism should be central in our lives, not peripheral, and that our lives should be lived in accordance with a Jewish calendar — observing not only Hanukka and Pesach and the High Holy Days, but also the festivals and the modern holidays.

Second, our decisions as to what to keep and what to throw out, what to rework and what to create, must be based on knowledge of our tradition — for how can we possibly know the value of a ritual or a belief if we do not have an informed understanding of it? What this means is that Reform Jews must constantly be involved in Jewish study and learning.

Reform Judaism demands that we do the spiritual work necessary so that we may have an inner sense of what God demands of us — influenced surely by our study and our teachers, but, ultimately, the Judaism we choose to live must be a Judaism that we ourselves have shaped and that we are creating. That is why we do not call our approach "Reformed Judaism" since the "-ed" ending indicates that the process took place and has been completed. Reform Judaism is a Judaism that is constantly being created by those who take it seriously; each individual and each generation has both the right and the obligation to adapt and to add — so that Judaism continues to speak to the changing conditions of life and continues to be a source of support and purpose.

"THE OFFICERS shall add in speaking and say, "Who is the man that is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go and return to his house, and let him not melt the heart of his brothers, like his heart." (Deuteronomy 20:8)

This verse is in reference to one who is exempt from fighting in Jewish wars. Most commentaries quote Rebbe Yossi Hagelili's explanation of the verse "the fearful and fainthearted of the sins that are in his hands" (Sotah 44b). God promises victory and tells us not to be afraid (20: 1-4). This individual may feel that he will not merit God's salvation because of his past actions. He is therefore pardoned from military services.

The Ohr Hachaim (commenting on verse 8) explains Rebbe Yossi Hagelili. "Even if one does not know that he has sins, the fear of war that enters his heart will inform him that he has sins."

It is understood that before entering war a solider reflects upon his past. In terms of his relationship with God, it makes him realize that he cannot continue to be confident. If he has sins, fear will make him realize what he should have always known.

The human dynamic works in irrational ways. One gets a false sense of his righteousness when things are easy and normal. It takes a certain reality to realize the truth — a worthy thought for the High Holy Days.