Earlier this week marked the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul, the month that precedes Rosh Hashana. I have not completely absorbed just how early the High Holidays are this year. The Jewish calendar–a morphing of solar and lunar time-keeping–neither wanders as freely as the Muslim calendar (which has Ramadan moving year to year through all of the seasons), nor cleaves too closely to the Gregorian calendar.  Our holidays float back and forth, generally falling in the same season each year, but not the same week, or even month.

There’s a joke that the holidays are either early, or late, but never on time. To give more of a sense of how early “early” is this year: Hanukkah, which overlapped with Christmas just a couple of years ago, will begin this year with Thanksgiving. And Rosh Hashana will fall just days after Labor Day. Suffice it to say, I’m not ready. My husband is a pulpit rabbi, and he’s not ready. Tomorrow, we go on vacation (because this is the one week my brother’s family was free), we come back just in time for school to start, and then BAM. Rosh Hashana, the new year, and the start of a long month of holidays focused on teshuvah (repentance), and making a fresh start.  Continue reading →