Elul Reflections 1 – August 23

Rabbi Brad Levenberg

We have come once again to that sacred time on the Jewish calendar where it is appropriate to take stock of the many blessings in our lives and to offer our thanksgiving to God.

When reflecting upon the blessing for this particular day I realized how apparent it is that we as a congregation have much for which we should be thankful. We are thankful for our successes.

We are thankful for our leadership, for professionals and for our lay leaders, for those who gave up a lunch or a dinner or missed a game or a gathering with family or friends to help make the Jewish world thrive.

We count our blessings that we had much joy since last year- some of us got married, some had children, some had children who became Bar or Bat Mitzvah. Some of us assembled here became grandparents for the first, second, third, or more time. Some of us found new employment and some of us retired.

We count our blessings that the tragic events that touched our lives were made a bit more manageable because of the presence of community. We are thankful, O God, what when we needed them most, we were blessed to never walk darkened paths in solitude.

Indeed, on this first day of Elul, we acknowledge just a few of the many ways in which God has blessed us since this time last year. May we be blessed with abundance in the next as well.

 

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