From Rabbi Craig Mayers
August / September 2022
THE DIFFERENT SCHEDULES WE KEEP
Chaverim,
As I write this, July is coming to a close and school will be starting in a few weeks. It occurred to me that at different points in my life, this time of year has held different meaning. And with the vagaries of the Jewish calendar vis-à-vis the secular calendar, every year is in fact a little different.
Growing up in New York, the end of July and start of August meant that the summer was halfway over. We didn’t go back to school until after Labor Day. We still had just over a month of summer vacation left! Here in Florida we start relatively early in early or mid August – but some states start even earlier than that. In fact, this year in Chandler, Arizona the kids have been back in school since July 20th! How can this time of year be experienced so vastly differently, just depending on where one lives?
Well, it’s also different in another way - because of where we are on the Jewish calendar. This year is a leap year, so the holidays are pushed back a bit, into late September and October. Last year, by contrast, the entirety of the High Holiday season – Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot and Simchat Torah – occurred entirely in the month of September.
Mid to late summer is also the time of the 3 Weeks and Tisha B’Av, a time to reflect on tragedies of the past and express hope for the future. We begin looking forward to the High Holidays and the examination of our behavior over the past year. Those of us with kids are getting ready for back to school or off to college. There’s a lot going on!
So just how are we supposed to feel this time of year? It seems it depends on where we’re located – either our Summer is coming to a close or the vacation still has a ways to go. Either we have early holidays looming ahead or (like this year) they’re late. And how do we stay connected to our Jewish community during this time when the only “holiday” is a dark and ominous fast day?
In an article titled “It’s Summertime – Where Are All the Jews?” the author writes, “There are very few holidays in the summer, Hebrew school is closed, rabbis go on vacation… (as do congregants)”. So the challenge is there – staying connected in the “down time”, keeping our batteries charged for the rush that comes with the change of season and the High Holidays.
We’ve made it easy to stay connected during the summer here at TBS by continuing our TBS Tuesday programs with adult education and social events. We’re starting our annual “Intro to Judaism” in August, and of course services continue each week without interruption.
Maybe we do operate on flexible and varying schedules, beholden to various calendars both secular and religious. The days only grow shorter from here, perhaps a message to us to make the time count. Whatever you’re focused on at this time of year, whatever preparations you’re making as a new school year starts, and a holiday season approaches - remember there’s always a place you can come to and feel connected, secure, and home. You know that no matter what kind of crazy week or busy summer you’ve had, whatever planning you are knee-deep in, there’s always a place to go on Shabbat and refresh. And it’s nice to have that rock-solid constant in our world that is so full of variables!
Wishing you a safe and rewarding end of summer, and looking forward to seeing you soon at TBS.
Rabbi Craig Mayers
Chaverim,
As I write this, July is coming to a close and school will be starting in a few weeks. It occurred to me that at different points in my life, this time of year has held different meaning. And with the vagaries of the Jewish calendar vis-à-vis the secular calendar, every year is in fact a little different.
Growing up in New York, the end of July and start of August meant that the summer was halfway over. We didn’t go back to school until after Labor Day. We still had just over a month of summer vacation left! Here in Florida we start relatively early in early or mid August – but some states start even earlier than that. In fact, this year in Chandler, Arizona the kids have been back in school since July 20th! How can this time of year be experienced so vastly differently, just depending on where one lives?
Well, it’s also different in another way - because of where we are on the Jewish calendar. This year is a leap year, so the holidays are pushed back a bit, into late September and October. Last year, by contrast, the entirety of the High Holiday season – Rosh Hashanah through Sukkot and Simchat Torah – occurred entirely in the month of September.
Mid to late summer is also the time of the 3 Weeks and Tisha B’Av, a time to reflect on tragedies of the past and express hope for the future. We begin looking forward to the High Holidays and the examination of our behavior over the past year. Those of us with kids are getting ready for back to school or off to college. There’s a lot going on!
So just how are we supposed to feel this time of year? It seems it depends on where we’re located – either our Summer is coming to a close or the vacation still has a ways to go. Either we have early holidays looming ahead or (like this year) they’re late. And how do we stay connected to our Jewish community during this time when the only “holiday” is a dark and ominous fast day?
In an article titled “It’s Summertime – Where Are All the Jews?” the author writes, “There are very few holidays in the summer, Hebrew school is closed, rabbis go on vacation… (as do congregants)”. So the challenge is there – staying connected in the “down time”, keeping our batteries charged for the rush that comes with the change of season and the High Holidays.
We’ve made it easy to stay connected during the summer here at TBS by continuing our TBS Tuesday programs with adult education and social events. We’re starting our annual “Intro to Judaism” in August, and of course services continue each week without interruption.
Maybe we do operate on flexible and varying schedules, beholden to various calendars both secular and religious. The days only grow shorter from here, perhaps a message to us to make the time count. Whatever you’re focused on at this time of year, whatever preparations you’re making as a new school year starts, and a holiday season approaches - remember there’s always a place you can come to and feel connected, secure, and home. You know that no matter what kind of crazy week or busy summer you’ve had, whatever planning you are knee-deep in, there’s always a place to go on Shabbat and refresh. And it’s nice to have that rock-solid constant in our world that is so full of variables!
Wishing you a safe and rewarding end of summer, and looking forward to seeing you soon at TBS.
Rabbi Craig Mayers