Have you noticed the mornings? It’s only the end of August, but the mornings are slightly chilled, shadowed and sleepy. It feels like fall outside the window, which is no longer left open. The ceiling fan is silent. A blanket is needed. Summer clothes remain in the closet, exhausted from overuse. Time to wash the green jacket; try on that favorite sweater to see if it still fits. Where on earth are the winter gloves? Where? It’s a whole new season, ahead of schedule.
The crickets arrived late this summer. Instead of setting up shop mid-July, they waited until just a few weeks ago. Now they tuck you in at night. Why is autumn coming on so early, ahead of schedule?
Selichot begin Sept. 20. Erev Rosh Hashanah is Sept. 24. Kol Nidre, Oct. 3. The holiday schedule that seemed so far away at the beginning of August is a looming, coming up fast. This week it was Elul already. Are you prepared? Start humming a High Holiday tune or two to put you in the mood. The world will be born, yet again. And, we all hope, we will be reborn along with it.
As we slip into the rhythm of the holidays and the seasonal tide, we remember this past year when some of us actualized our most cherished dreams. Others, however, lost their health, or worse. It is time to remember — but also to look ahead.
Jews celebrate the creation of the world just as the physical realm starts shedding its warmest skin. It’s ironic, but oddly Jewish. We do not keep pace with the rest of humanity. Our holidays begin at sunset, while our non-Jewish neighbors arise early to unwrap their gifts. Our pace is a current that flows backward, out of sync with traffic and clocks and routine. Rather special, don’t you think?
As for these premature autumnal signs, we may as well accept them. The seasons, like the Jewish people, observe distinct rituals that often run contrary to the rest of life. It’s OK to sleep a few more minutes in the morning’s soft, slumber-inducing chill. We will have to wash that jacket sooner or later. The blanket, too. We will have to recover the gloves, and ourselves.
As the poet said, “We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.”
Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News
