4 | SEPTEMBER 26 • 2024 J
N
I
’ve always loved fall. Where many
see spring as the season of rebirth,
to me, fall is the time of year that
brings new beginnings, new possibilities,
new hope. As the summer heat breaks
and gives way to cooler
days, changing colors, a
return to school, football
games and apple cider, the
prospect for growth and
renewal feels endless.
Fall also brings a time
of personal growth, as it
generally occurs during
Elul, the last month of the Hebrew cal-
endar leading into the High Holidays.
According to the website My Jewish
Learning, “Elul is traditionally a time of
introspection and personal stock-taking,
known in Hebrew as cheshbon hanefesh
— literally ‘an accounting of the soul.
’
This process is conducted in preparation
for Rosh Hashanah when, Jewish tra-
dition teaches, all of humanity is called
to account and a Divine judgment is
issued.
”
Coincidentally, September is also the
month of my birth, so I have both a per-
sonal and spiritual reason to take a deep
look inward. This week, I celebrated my
50th birthday. 50! Given I am still about
30 in my brain, I’m still
coming to terms with that
number.
Yet, while I enter the season — and
my next year of life — with my usual
sense of optimism, this year feels vastly
different. How could it not? The last year
has changed our Jewish community in
unfathomable ways.
As next week we mark one year since
the horrors of Oct. 7, 2023, we reflect on
a year defined by profound challenges,
fears and grief. Our homeland is being
crippled by war against an enemy that
will not back down. Thousands of our
people, civilian and soldier alike, have
been killed or injured on or since that
fateful day. Across the border, many of
our hostages are still in captivity while
Gazans caught in the middle of the con-
flict are being racked by a devastating
humanitarian crisis.
A tremendous rise in antisemitism
and anti-Israel sentiment around the
world has given way to a sense of fear
and anger, not to mention betrayal, at
those who have not supported us as we
believe they should. Our kids don’t feel
safe on their college campuses. Even
within our own community, there are
polarizing differences of opinion on a
wide variety of topics that feel irreconcil-
able — a chasm that may only widen as
we approach our November election.
Although we continue to live our
everyday lives, and there are moments of
joy amidst the pain, there is nonetheless
a sense of heaviness that permeates the
air.
One of the most rewarding parts of
my job is the time I spend out in the
community, attending events and getting
to know the diverse mix that makes up
the Metro Detroit Jewish population. By
asking questions and truly listening to
the answers, I get to know people on a
deeper level. And if I have learned any-
thing in the last year, it is this: Despite all
the heavy sentiment, despite our vast dif-
ferences, there is an overwhelming sense
that the ties that bind this community
are stronger than those that divide. The
vigils, the marches, the special services,
the visiting speakers and the missions to
Israel have all been opportunities for us
to get together, bear witness and feel all
the feelings as a collective. For me, that
has been extremely heartening.
Now, more than ever, it is critical that
we be on the same team. That doesn’t
mean we vote for the same candidate or
even cheer for the same football team.
But when push comes to shove, we
support and stand up for one another,
regardless of our disagreements. That is
what it means to be a community.
Having reflected on all of this, I realize
I’m very blessed to be turning 50. I’m
in good health, besides an ache here
and a pain there. I am lucky to have an
amazing brother, an incredible partner,
and a loving and supportive group of
friends all over the world. I love my job,
which allows me, with my talented team,
to keep the Detroit Jewish community
connected, educated and informed, and
in that community, I feel embraced in
return.
It’s this feeling of community, and the
strength of spirit it fosters, that Rosh
Hashanah encourages us to celebrate.
Let us continue to draw courage from
these unbreakable bonds. May our unity
and love guide us through these trying
times, and may the coming year be filled
with resilience, hope and renewed pur-
pose. Shanah Tovah.
PURELY COMMENTARY
from the executive director
A Season of Rebirth
Marni Raitt
A
close friend of mine, who
serves as a Jewish chaplain
in South Florida, recently
shared with me the following interac-
tion he had with a senior
patient in a memory care
facility:
“Rabbi: ‘Hi, my name
is Moshe, nice to meet
you! What is your
name?”
Patient: “Um, Um… I
don’t remember…
”
Ten minutes later …
Rabbi: “Shema Yisroel.
”
Patient: “
A-donai E-loheinu.
’’
Upon hearing this story, I began
thinking about the depth of the Jewish
soul and its eternal connection with
G-d. Regardless of the physical circum-
stances of the Jew, one’s Jewish identity
will ultimately rise to the surface.
As we embark upon the Hebrew year
of 5785 since the Creation, we can-
not underestimate the importance of
reflecting upon the past year and forg-
ing ahead with renewed and resolute
perspective on life as a Jew.
If we can apply one biblical verse to
this past year’s experience for the Jewish
people, I would suggest the following
verse in the context of Balaam’s proph-
ecies regarding the Jewish people: It is
a nation that will dwell alone. Has there
been a period in this generation when
we, the collective Jewish people, felt
more “alone” than during this past year?
However, when examining the
abovementioned verse, it becomes
clear that this prophecy is not intended
to inform the Jewish people about its
liability, rather it is to be understood as
an asset for our survival. It should not
be hard to recognize that throughout
Jewish history, our key to survival as
a nation was not that which is com-
monly the key for other nations, such
as a common language, culture or geo-
graphical location. The one factor that
was always present (on some level) was
the devotion to Hashem and His Torah,
the connection to our Jewish soul. This
has provided us with the meaning and
purpose necessary to have the strength
to withstand the many persecutions and
tribulations our people have suffered.
This is also what continues to make
us unique, different and “alone” in the
family of nations.
This Rosh Hashanah is our opportu-
nity to reacknowledge the key to Jewish
survival and embrace our “aloneness” as
an asset and connection to the ultimate
decider of personal and world events,
G-d Almighty.
Wishing you and yours a happy and
sweet new year with much revealed
blessings of health, security and
nachas!
Mendel Polter is the rabbi at the Woodward
Avenue Shul in Royal Oak.
Rabbi
Mendel
Polter
essay
Embracing our ‘Aloneness’
L’Shana Tova 5785
WE GRIND