BlogElul 1: Prepare

I’m back.

It’s been more than six years since I’ve blogged. Six years that have taken me from Jerusalem back to New York City and most recently to Milwaukee, WI. In between, I traveled to Germany, England, Ireland, the Galapagos Islands, Mexico, Canada, Holland, Poland, the Czech Republic, at least a dozen US states, and made two more journeys to Eretz Yisrael.

More importantly, I was ordained as a cantor. The beginning of my journey to the cantorate is what provided the inspiration for this blog in the first place. 

Throughout my travels and studies, there have been many times when I was tempted to blog on topics ranging from the serious to the mundane.

There was the beautiful rainbow I saw shining over the Holocaust memorial monument in Amsterdam, a visual symbol of the huge strides that Jewish communities in Europe have made. There was my 4.8 mile (okay, okay, 7.8 km) glide down the world’s longest ice rink, the Rideau Canal Skateway in Ottawa.

The most humorous is definitely my experience of being a New Yorker living in Wisconsin, including my first taste of cheese curds, frozen custard, and consistent sub-zero temperatures. 

The most significant is falling in love, thanks to much serendipity. 

Facebook has helped me take the easy way out when it came time to sharing these observations with the world. Instead of sitting down and reflecting on new experiences or discoveries, I would post a quick photo and caption.  I really didn’t feel a need to do anything more than that.

Until now.

My colleague, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer (http://imabima.blogspot.com/), is a fantastic writer and blogger. Each year, she offers the opportunity to #BlogElul – to spend the month leading up to the High Holy Days in focused reflection via a series of prompts related to the themes of this season.

I know what you’re thinking – why would a cantor pick the busiest month of the year to take on an additional daily responsibility?

I’m going to answer this question with today’s prompt: To prepare.

This month, it will be very easy for me to be bogged down with organizing choir binders, editing cue sheets, proofing service packets, and all of the other menial details that are associated with the High Holy Days. By committing to this blog, I am giving myself built-in time for introspection, reflection, and preparation to lead my community in spirited and meaningful worship.  

During the High Holy Day season, we offer prayers of forgiveness, prayers of remembrance, prayers of love, and prayers of hope. Attaching observations and experiences to each of these themes will help me to elevate my own personal prayers, which will hopefully enhance the prayer experience and kavanah (intention) of my entire congregation.

During Elul, we blow the shofar every weekday as a call to action. The shofar blasts are like a daily alarm clock that remind us that it is time to prepare, to be mindful, and to look towards beginning a new year with a clean slate. 

Similarly, I’m committed to blogging each day for the next month and hope to continue reflecting periodically over the coming year of 5776.

For now, let’s just see how long it takes my mother to realize that I posted something new.