Embracing Awe & Wonder
Karen and I live steps away from magnificent Lake Michigan. Our mid-century house nestled into a dune offers me the perfect counterbalance to the demands of my professional life.
The sunsets are spectacular and on a clear day you can see the Chicago skyline. And the full moon over the lake is a sight to behold with its extraordinary celestial vibe.
Speaking of the moon, did anyone see the exquisite Super Blue Moon in August?
“Once in a Blue Moon” means something is rare. Blue Moons happen once every two or three years. This term refers to the second full moon occurring within a single calendar month.
A Super Blue Moon is a special astronomical event that combines two distinct phenomena: a “blue moon” and a “supermoon.” A supermoon happens when a full moon coincides with the moon’s closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, called “perigee.” As a result, the moon appears larger and brighter in the sky than usual, making it an extraordinary event for skywatchers.
The Jewish tradition does not have a specific view on astronomical events like the Super Blue Moon. However, Judaism often sees celestial events as signs of G-d’s grandeur and power. Some Jewish texts and teachings emphasize the importance of reflecting on natural phenomena to connect with the divine and understand the world better.
When I step out of the office and into nature it fills me with a positive spiritual energy. With sensory receptors fully engaged and with a sense of wonder, I find it easier and more natural to speak freely with Hashem. I look forward to these talks as they often reveal a deeper truth to understanding my place and purpose in the universe.
High Holiday alert
Check your calendars; when the next full moon appears, there will be approximately 3 weeks until the High Holidays. Rosh Hashanah denotes the start of the Days of Awe, the 10 days from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. These days are used for introspection and reflection on the past year and the changes and aspirations we will work toward in the coming year. The way Rabbi Yossi Sapirman, founder of Living Jewishly frames it, this is the time we come together with a sense of urgency to understand “what pushes and pulls, what ebbs and flows, what comes and goes, and what leaves or stays.”
As we take stock of our actions, let us as a community choose well in the new year 5785. As Rabbi Yossi shares:
“We must remember to forgive, even if we don’t forget, to be magnanimous even if it is not reciprocated, to choose resolve rather than despair, to find joy in empathy, and to link ourselves back to a 3,000-year history of an unwavering commitment to choosing the hard but good path.”
New shades of possibility
What is this good path? The good path is the path forward. Together, we can create something beautiful, imperfect as it may be, compared to nature’s divine masterpiece. Nonetheless, it is in our power to become a community through which sacred imagination and creativity flow. That is, to be the place of all new shades of possibility.
In hearing the call of the shofar this Rosh Hashanah, let us also be mindful of the invisible connections between the most particular, granular parts of our daily lives and their heavenly roots above. In connecting the dots this way, we honor each other in our co-creation of community and partnership with something larger than ourselves.
May we all be inscribed in the book of long life!
Moshe Kruger
Executive Director
(574) 233-1164 x1802
mkruger@thejewishfed.org
