The time is coming….soon.
It feels as if we are on the platform, waiting for a train. We are slightly nervous, checking our ticket, our bags, making sure we have everything we need for the journey. Did we forget anything at home, or at the coffee shop we stopped at on the way? Did we call our family and friends to say goodbye, or let those who are waiting for us know what time we will arrive? Or is our phone dead, and we need a charger? We still have time to charge it, and make the calls, if we hurry.
We can hear the train in the distance, and see the lights approaching.
The time is coming….soon we will board….soon we will leave this place behind. Soon, we will begin the journey to a new destination.
The time is coming…soon.
Our train is our liturgy which will carry us into the New Year. Our friends, family and CMT community will be our fellow travelers. We have the best, most mysterious, most experienced Driver in the universe, who will ensure we get to our new home safely. We are heading toward a new year, a new soul, a fresh start. We are leaving behind the old year, old sins, old mistakes, old achievements. It will be a momentous journey. A journey of a lifetime; a journey toward a new life.
Are we ready? Are we ready to let go of the past, and agree to change for the future? Are we ready to do the work required to obtain a fresh, forgiven soul? Do we have what we need?
During the rest of Elul, we still have time to call those we have hurt and apologise, seek forgiveness. We know we have caused hurt. We may not want to admit it; we may even think the other person deserved our harsh words. But we also know, deep down, that we are not meant to be causing pain to another. That is not who we want to be. Let’s charge up our determination, our desire to be kinder, and repair what and who we have broken.
Before we begin our prayers, before we board the Prayer Train, let’s make the calls we know we should; lets seek forgiveness and wash ourselves clean from the harm we have done.
Let us prepare ourselves for our journey, and make sure we have what we need: courage, an open heart, desire for change, honesty, and a mirror–to see ourselves as we really are.
We can almost hear the sound of the shofar, reminding us that the journey will begin shortly.
Come– board with me. I promise you, the journey will be worth it. We will find new places within our souls; we will arrive in the New Year with more compassion and love than we had when we began.
I have one more thing as a special treat: we each have music available to listen to on our journey.
Please click on the links below to enjoy some of the contemporary music we will sing at Rosh Hashanah. Let the music open your hearts, and prepare your voices to sing along during the services. The more you listen, the more familiar you will be, and the easier it will be to join in. We love to hear your voices!
It’s a New Year
Blessed We Are
I Release and I Let Go
Achat Sha’alti:
Return Again
During this Shabbat, may you take the time to recharge your spiritual batteries, find compassion, and the deep, often hidden, desire for forgiveness, healing and repentance. May you be filled with the longing for the journey toward a Shana Tova UM’etuka, toward a sweet New Year.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Marcia Plumb
