Rosh Hashanah Speech

Somehow, I ended up as one of our (conservative, USA) shul’s VPs, and this year they asked me to deliver the remarks usually reserved for the president. There was a very good response to the speech, so I thought I would share it here. Hope you enjoy it.

Earlier this week, I was doomscrolling Reddit when I probably should have been getting work done. I came across a video of a rabbi explaining our tradition of eating apples and honey at Rosh Hashanah. He described the fact that we have two sweet foods, eaten together, that represent our prayers and aspirations for a sweet year ahead—something, of course, I already knew.

He then posed an interesting question: Why two foods, both sweet? Apples are sweet, and honey is sweet, but honey comes from bees, which sting. So, there are two types of sweetness in—sweetness like an apple, and sweetness like honey, which comes from bees that sting.

The beautiful meaning here, he continued, is that some things in life are sweet and pleasurable in ways that we experience right away. Other things, at first, seem threatening or challenging, but beneath the surface and beyond the threat, there is sweetness.

It is therefore important to recognize all of the sweetness in life, both those things that are easily recognizable as sweet, and those things that are sweet only after we uncover their true nature.

I thought this was apropos of the present state of the world. There are so many things that are, clearly and obviously, sweet. Rabbi <Our Rabbi> has been focusing on the concept of community, and all I have to do is look around this room to know that our <Synagogue Name> community is a blessing.

As someone who struggled with feeling like I didn’t fit into previous Jewish spaces, and who is still early in my journey to understand our rituals, I’ve never felt like an outsider in this building. I’ve heard many stories from others who have felt like they were different or outsiders elsewhere, but not here.

Other things are not so obviously sweet but are nonetheless blessings. Only a few months ago, seemingly by happenstance, my doctor found a mass in my right lung. Hearing that was terrifying, as lung cancer is no joke, and I suddenly feared not for myself, but for the milestones in my children’s lives that I would miss.

Thankfully, the type of tumor I had was slow-growing, and not long after removing two lobes of my right lung, my surgeon advised me to “forget this ever happened.” Of course, I’ll never forget. But with the fear behind me, the lessons of what is important and what isn’t stand out. Despite the bee stings of the situation and treatment, the sweetness of those lessons will stay with me forever.

Of course, each type of sweetness is sweet alone, but they are exponentially sweeter together. Once I had recovered, I knew I wanted to say birkat hagomel, but I didn’t know how to ask (in hindsight, I should have just asked the rabbi!).

We were here on Shabbat for <my son’s name> confirmation, and without me asking, <congregant/frequent gabbai> knew exactly what I needed and arranged for it to happen. <congregant/frequent gabbai>, of course, is a mensch, and he so clearly represents what is so sweet about our <Synagogue name> community.

We cannot take our community for granted. Just as the rabbi has been facilitating connections, new and rekindled, on Shabbat mornings, we need to facilitate the future of our community. To do that, we must not just cherish what we have, but be aspirational about what we want to be.

That means preserving our traditions, but not being afraid to be open-minded about change. It means listening to each other, understanding what each of us needs from Jewish life, and working together to fulfill each other’s spiritual and community needs.

It also means reaching out to our neighbors—those who are nearby but haven’t become part of our community yet—and working hard to fulfill their needs. By embracing things obviously sweet and things that are sweet only after a struggle, we can ensure that this year, and the years to come, will be as sweet as possible.

Shanah tovah u’metukah—have a happy and doubly sweet new year.

Now, I have one announcement, and it really resonated with the concept of community for me.

Please save the date of <date> for a Shabbat service and extra-special luncheon to honor our own <b’nei mitzvah tutor>. <Tutor> is a long-time member, board member, sisterhood president, and education specialist. She has dedicated 30 years to tutoring Bar and Bat Mitzvah students, guiding them to master their service portions, helping them shine on their big days, and, more importantly, always making them feel like members of the community at any Shabbat service.

To honor <Tutor> and raise crucial funds for <Synagogue name>, your fundraising committee is busy creating a special fundraising ad journal. We hope everyone will participate, not only by joining us on <date>, but also by purchasing an ad, using it to share your personal messages and memories to honor <Tutor>.

This is the only major fundraiser planned for 2024-25, but of course, the <date> luncheon will be free of charge.

Details can be found in the emails that were already sent or on the <Synagogue name> website under the About Us tab.

Thank you in advance for your participation and, once again, shanah tovah!