From the Rabbi - September 2003

My Dear Friends,

Swamper is not happy. An alien being has been rudely injected into her life, destroying her routines, stealing her most precious commodities and turning everything to which she has become accustomed into utter chaos. Swamper is our 7-year-old dog. The "alien being" is Gelato (or "Jelly"), a 6-month-old Labrador (mostly) puppy that we recently added to the menagerie in our home. Gelato has joined Tony Shoif the Turtle and the two remaining nameless fish (out of the original 10) in the aquarium. Since Jelly is a puppy, he does all of the things that puppies do: chewing, licking, running, making "deposits" in places that are not pleasant...

Swamper - who until Jelly's arrival had led the life of a spoiled single dog - has suddenly had to contend with a rival not only for our affection, but also for her food and water dishes, choice spots at the foot of our bed and the lack of the peace and quiet with which she had become accustomed. She'll get over it (or so all of the experts on dog behavior have told us). She'll probably appreciate the company after a while. But there is no doubt that her life has drastically changed.

Swamper is not alone. As I'm sure many of you know, bringing a puppy into your home is quite disruptive. Our lives have been changed as well. Of course , in the scope of things, these changes are relatively minor. This is the time of year when all of us confront the changes that have taken place in our lives. Some of us have had radical changes. Others have weathered the past year with little or no variation. And yet, we all have changed, as the world around us has changed as well. The month of Elul is a time for reflection, of taking stock in our lives and ourselves. As we prepare ourselves for the Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, we look back on the twists and turns of fate that have occurred over the past year. We give thanks for the blessings and pray that the bad fortune that has befallen us and those we love will soon give way to better times. During Elul we are given a chance to set goals for ourselves. We reflect on our successes and failures, our relationships with family, friends, ourselves and with God.

May this sacred time be filled with a sense of awe and transcendence. May we all enter our sanctuary on Rosh Hashanah ready and willing to face the changes of both the past and future with an open heart and mind.

And may nobody ever steal your water dish.

Sue, Elana and Ethan join me is wishing you all a Shanah Tovah U'metukah - a good and sweet New Year.

B'Shalom,
Rabbi Joseph R. Black

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