Big Tent Judaism

Inspirational Calendar

The Jewish month of Elul, the month that precedes the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), began last Friday. Elul is a time of spiritual preparation for the High Holidays and a chance to begin the process of forgiveness (asking for, as well as accepting from others). If you’re looking to prepare, or simply looking for some inspirational words of wisdom, check out this new anthology called Jewels of Elul, which offers an insight for each of the 29 days of Elul. The book is available (for free!), or you can go to their website to read the day’s insight. The collection will certainly appeal to a diverse crowd including unaffiliated and intermarried populations, given a list of contributors that includes Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service, and bodybuilder-turned governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Preparing for the High Holidays

It is that season. When done right, it is intentionally overwhelming. That is one of the things that motivated me years ago to do Preparing Your Heart for the High Holy Days with my colleague Rabbi Rachel Sabbath-Halachmi, now of Jerusalem. But there are lots of ways to prepare—especially since not everyone is positively disposed to spending the holidays in services at synagogues. Consider the plans of New York’s Skirball Center. While the lead-in (a quiz on the high holidays) is not the most inviting (although the winner does win a shofar—in New York, perhaps a chauffeur would also be appreciated), everything else seems really on target. Getting fit for the holidays. Preparing by doing yoga at a yoga center. Free water and nutrition bars. And an invitation to four three-session courses during the preparatory month (of Elul). (Alas, the courses have fees attached to them.)

What’s That You Say? A Jewish Valentine’s Day?

Now that the mournful day of Tisha B’av has passed, the Jewish calendar takes a very different turn. Today marks a change in mood with an even less well-known holiday called Tu B’av. Tu B’av, the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month of Av, is celebrated as the day of love.

What? A Jewish Valentine’s Day? While widely observed in Israel, few in the North American Jewish community are even remotely familiar with the holiday. Perhaps you, too, have never heard of Tu B’av. Or perhaps you’ve celebrated Tu B’av the way our ancestors did, by dressing up in white and go out to your local vineyards to dance?

I was once at a Jewish retreat with of adults of all ages, most of whom had never heard of Tu B’av. Because the holiday fell during the retreat, the leaders chanted the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon) in English and Hebrew, sang love songs, and danced with scarves. Within a few hours, we all had a clear understanding of the holiday and its history, and a deeper appreciation of Judaism for providing this element of love. But a question for us at JOI is, can an obscure Jewish holiday be an outreach opportunity, or is that unrealistic? Can it be an opportunity to learn about the holiday? Or must outreach programming focus on a Jewish slant to Valentine’s Day, the holiday that the unaffiliated are already familiar with?