Just last week I was starting to figure out what I was going to do for Rosh Hashanah, when someone mentioned that it was next week, I had no idea, like in the past dozen years since I have left the mussar filled cocoon of yeshiva where I would hear about RH for a month before it actually happened. RH has decided to be sneaky and just appear out of nowhere, expecting me to ask to act like I’ve been getting pumped up for some good old fashioned repentance, when all I was thinking about was why it had to be a 3 day holiday and mess with my weekend mountain biking schedule.
When I did find out it was a week away, I quickly went into the logistics mode that is all 3 day yumim tovim. You see, the three day yuntiff is tricky because you really don’t want to wind up somewhere sucky that you cannot escape from, so it came down tdeciding between spending it at home in San Jose, in LA where I could hit up 6 different shuls and wonder around the hinterlands of “I didn’t buy a ticket I hope I don’t go through a Larry David situation” or go to San Francisco and hit up Hardly Strictly Bluegrass which is the biggest free concert of the year and conveniently falls out during RH and is walking distance to the shul I would go to.
I decided that LA was risky for a three day holiday, going to a bluegrass show in Golden Gate Park wasn’t exactly repenting and going to San Jose seemed logical because it’s the most mussar ladden of all the communities in the Bay Area, I also foigured that since I’m moving to San Francisco right after yuntiff, I needed to get my last hurrah in.
Luckily I had a shabbos to contemplate my faults and consult with the Lord so I didn’t go into RH blind. So on Shabbos afternoon this past week I took a sunset walk through a marsh in the Sierra foothills and spoke to the Lord at length about my wrongdoings and tried to be grateful for all the good stuff that’s been happening since I moved to California, my new job rocks and I just scored a really good deal on a place in San Francisco. So things are going good, but I’ve had this sense of gnawing dread lately and I’m kind of thankful for it, because my theory on teshuvah is that it’s quite hard to do when things are going great and quite easy to do when things suck. So I was kind of thankful for being in a sorrowful mode and it allowed me to kind of dwell on teshuvah and doing better in the coming year – whatever that may mean.
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I always thought Yom Kippur was when the serious repenting was supposed to happen- RH is just prepatory (which seems to me to leave time for the odd concert or two if you would do it during any other Yom Tov).
How did it sneak up on you? We’ve been reading the Haftorah sections of consolation for weeks now. In Torah study we’ve been reading from the last of the five books of Moses. Last week Moses passed on the leadership of the people.
At my synagogue we keep getting reminded about blowing the shofar, and reminding us to come to the S’lichot service. And we’re Reform.
What in the world have they been talking about in Orthodox shuls these last several weeks?
I read Gadol biographies and learn mishna brura while they are going at it on the bimah.
Dude, I completely agree with you on the mussar filled cocoon (I hated it in yeshiva). But I think the presence of Facebook kind of changes that, depending on what kind of friends you have and what things they post. They’re like annoying, yet constant reminders of the holiday – whether it’s a Maccabeat video, or some generic dvar torah-laced status about the importance of being a better person as the days of awe come upon us.
I don’t know what it’s about Rosh Hashanna but it seems like Jews hype it up prior to the holiday a whole lot more than the others.
What’s your take?
Good point about Rosh Hashanah videos and such on Facebook Chanukkah got pretty hyped with videos and such on Facebook, too, but I agree that doesn’t happen with most of the holidays.
I don’t really read anything people post on Facebook – I’m the type of dude that wouldn’t have facebook if I didn’t have this blog to upkeep.
Ahh, the RH-> YK season. Laundry of the soul, here we go again!
i fell ur pain its not easy and then sukkas when u cant make laundry for a week
Three day yontif over and over and over. Nuff said. 🙁
i hate it no shower for 3 days
There are opinions that you can shower lichvod shabbat on the afternoon of the second day …. but don’t quote me on it.
Heshy, i have read your blog many times but never actually commented like this. The title to this post was a wakeup call to me, believe it or not. Throughout your life you hear about preparing for Rosh Hashana, it cant change you if your first thoughts to teshuva begin on Yom Tov itself. As a current “fakakte balaboos” , you are right, Yom tov sneaks up on you. This post was a reminder to wakeup, thank you.
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