Coming soon - No more festivals

One last thought on the season just ended…

The gates have closed, but this is, nonetheless, a good week to cast our minds back, on the season past. Rambam teaches that the fulfilment of teshuvah comes when a person finds themselves in the same position in which once they made an errant decision, but this time they demonstrate they have changed.

For me, I have no difficulty recognising the beckoning and admonishing finger wag of teshuvah during the ten days of penitence and even through Succot. My problem is that, once I get back into the rest of year, all good resolutions disappear into the business of ‘normalcy.’

So this week is the test.

If you felt, over Rosh Hashnah, that you wanted to spend more time part of the New London Synagogue family in the coming year – come on Saturday. If you felt, that a more serious relationship with Shabbat would help inure you from the pains of the credit crunch – abstain from spending money this Shabbat. If you felt inspired to make a gift to tzedakah to support the New London Kol Nidrei Appeal, or any other valuable cause – make sure the money leaves your bank account now.

If any of the sermons, prayers, discussions (or even blog postings) of the last month gave you the inspiration to change, then now is the time to see if you have the strength of faith, personality or conviction to make that change real.