Sunday, August 23, 2009

SEASON OF THE BLOWHARD


A Yemenite-style Shofar - the traditional Ram’s Horn Trumpet.

Last Friday was the first day of the Hebrew month Elul, marking the beginning of the Penitential Season that precedes Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

Every weekday morning during this month, we sound the Shofar, the traditional ram’s horn trumpet. More than just practice for Rosh Hashanah, it’s a spiritual wake-up call that tells us that it’s time to get our moral affairs in order.

It’s still August, and the heat of the summer is still heavy upon us. Here in the Atlanta area, the warm days will be with us through the month of October. But as the days shorten little by little, and the morning air becomes cooler and crisper, we head inexorably toward our encounter with the year 5770.

May it be a sweet one for all of us.

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