It should not surprise you that rabbis have list serves, and we "e-mail chat" fairly regularly. (I tend to be a "lurker" rather than a writer.) This month the big question is, "How can you tell if you've had a successful High Holy Days?" One rabbi suggests that the High Holy Days Experience changes people behavior. Another thinks that it has to do with attendance numbers. Another likes to hear compliments about sermons. One measures success by how nice the October Board Meeting is.
For once, I stopped lurking and wrote a response. I think that the true measure of our High Holy Day Experience is how many Jews attend Sukkot and Simchat Torah Services. How many of us continue the fall holiday tradition?
The problem with this criterion for High Holy Day success is that the vast majority of us fail dismally, and who wants to think of him/herself as having failed? It's ok. I don't mind; it's an important value, and we're slowly working toward that measurement.
Sukkot, the Jewish fall harvest festival, used to be the most important holiday of the Hebrew year. But it begins only five days after Yom Kippur, and everyone is "serviced out." Besides, we grew up thinking that it was a children's holiday. Decorating a sukkah. Waving lulavs and etrogs. Eating in a hut. But Sukkot connects us with nature. It emphasizes the fragility of life. (YOU try eating in a sukkah with an Arizona wind blowing!) Sukkot gives us an opportunity to marvel at the miracle of harvest. And it gives us an opportunity to have people over and share hospitality.
Simchat Torah celebrates our commitment to Torah. Finishing the scroll and beginning again. Here at Temple Brith Shalom, we unroll the whole scroll and everyone gets to participate. But it's only seven days after Sukkot (12 days after Yom Kippur, if you're doing the arithmetic.) That's a lot of services in one month. But it's our tradition. It's what enriches us as Jews. It's what Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are all about. We committed ourselves to becoming more actively involved as Jews. Well, here's our chance. We dedicated ourselves to becoming more connected to the Jewish community. Well, here's our opportunity.
I took the time (and energy) to e-mail all my rabbinic colleagues that our attendance at Sukkot and Simchat Torah should be our standard for measuring the High Holy Days. This year, do our Days of Awe succeed or fail. We'll know by the end of the first week of October. Sukkot evening services begin on Wednesday, September 29 at 7:30p.m. Simchat Torah services begin on Wednesday, October 6 at 7:30p.m. Have a joyous holiday!
