Yes We Can

Slichot 5767

Elul arrives stealthily in the midst of the summer. For those of us who do not pray at the synagogue daily, we miss the shofar calls reminding us that the New Year is coming. Fall begins with school bells ringing and tightened work schedules; the looseness of summer slips away as the dusk steals our precious summer daylight earlier by minutes each passing day. Initially fall is deceiving for the leaves stay green and the ninety-degree days linger, but the season is somehow different. The wind blows with increased strength and whirl, while the air grows crisper, the dew on the grass colder in the morning. As small clumps of leaves begin to change from green to yellow, so too does Elul morph into Tisrei. Rosh Hashanah charges in demanding that we take notice of the world around us. Fall is here whether we are prepared or not. Rosh Hashanah reminds us we are not in control of our world.

We are forced to wish each other Shana Tova, a good year. This seems like a simple enough wish for one another: a year of good year of health and happiness, of good things not bad. This Rosh Hashanah greeting forces us to be forward thinking and overtly optimistic. For families facing a recent tragedy it offers a promise that the New Year will be a better one even if the same words were uttered the year before. The New Year’s greeting reminds us that goodness is not one dimensional, but complex and individual. As the weather changes and serves as our silent shofar, we control what we can. We take charge of our actions and determine how we can make this year a Shana Tova. And we hope and pray that 5768 will be truly a good year for those we love. Shana Tova.

Last year’s slichot post can be read here.

Time to meet the neighbors?

Community gardens can transform groups of people from strangers into neighbors. Food or flowers can be grown allowing those of us city dwellers to return to our roots. Unfortunately for me, the community where I live is in the process of discontinuing their garden program and will not issue plots to new gardeners; rather, the village is seeding over those plots not used. They have no timetable for a new location although that sounds like the result the village would eventually like. For now, I’m stuck on how to proceed next. Park district elections are soon, letters to the editor are a possibility, but how does one organize in a city where you don't know anyone? Any thoughts?

Jesus Camp, The Book Thief, and PlayPumps

Three Unconnected Recommendations

Movie - Jesus Camp
I enjoyed Al Gore's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth. I thought the documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? was compelling, frustrating and more entertaining and educational than An Inconvenient truth. However, neither of these two well done movies are in the same league with Jesus Camp. Jesus Camp is a must see for anyone regardless of their place on the religious or political spectrum. Glimpsing the zeal, organization, and momentum the evangelical Christians depicted in this movie posses, I felt concerned the future both of religious liberalism and this country as a whole ( the problem is I don't pray about it fervently). I can not stress the importance of seeing this film.

Book- The Book Thief
It is rare to find a young adult book as compelling as The Book Thief. The book is set during world war two; it's unique writing style distance it from the standard holocaust literature book. Use it for a book group or just for yourself; you won't be disappointed. It may be the best young adult book I've read ever and that includes the Harry Potter books.

Cool Invention- PlayPumps
This merry-go round cleans drinking wanter while kids play. Perfect for sub-Saharan Africa or anywhere else where clean drinking water is needed. Why did it take us so long to come up with this?

Orthomom, ShulShopper, Community Supported Agriculture

When I first entered the world of blogging I discovered the well-written blog orthomom. This blogger is now snarled in a lawsuit where a school board member of the local school is suing google so they will release the identity of orthomom. Coverage in the local newspaper found here. Even though orthomom never struggled to keep her blog interesting, this will surly provide her with pleanty of new material.

Shulshopper is an innovative new way to do your synagogue scouting. You can review your shul worship experience and read other's comments. It will be intriguing to see if this takes off as an idea. They seem to still be working out some of the technical bugs.

CSA stands for community supported agriculture. Essentially it involves purchasing a share of farm produce now for the summer. This lessens farmers risk because you share in their bounty and their hardships. It also means you receive a full bag of produce every week all summer long making sure you eat your veggies. There are an assortment of CSA throughout the country that you can see here. We have decided to split a share to support Growing Home, a CSA which helps homeless and low income people in Chicago. Posting will follow with reports.

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DA BEARS!

Bears Inspire A City Still Reeling From Great Chicago Fire Of 1871

CHICAGO—As Brian Urlacher triumphantly hoisted the George Halas Trophy Sunday, it was a symbol of more than just the Bears' 39-14 victory over New Orleans—it was a symbol of hope to the thousands of Chicagoans who are still struggling...