Dear JFX Family,
I just got home from a full rehearsal with our High Holidays chazzan and choir and I'm very excited. They sound great! Thanks to your feedback and input, we've been able to build on previous years' experiences and have an inspiring High Holidays to enjoy together.
I can't help but think back to our very first JFX High Holidays experience. It was a one-hour, explanatory service (more like a class with a few prayers) upstairs at the Shaker Nature Center. We've come a long way, baby.
A special thank you is in order to those of you who encouraged us to up the ante (you know who you are!). We now have a three-and-a-half hour service which includes a family service, Torah reading and a concurrent class. A dedicated High Holidays committee (thank you all), a Logistics Coordinator (Jill, the lady in the red jacket), a child-care coordinator (Rochel Fine, the lady with the clipboard), a choir (elevating), a kiddush (all are invited), a luncheon (you can still register online) and a brand new feature - our JFX Prayer Companion (thank you Ruchi!).
I'd like to thank everyone for believing in and growing with JFX. Thank you for believing that a "mechitza minyan" can still be inspiring, and that we can offer a meaningful service while remaining true to thousands of years of Jewish tradition.
In conclusion, this past Friday I spent three hours trying to send out our weekly Shabbat Email. Unfortunately, I kept getting saddled by technological setbacks. My "HTML links were mangled," they said. All efforts to un-mangle them remained fruitless, and I finally had to give up. Something interesting occurred to me in the process: of course it was upsetting not to be able to send out our Shabbat Email. But even more frustrating was all the time wasted: three meaningless hours.
The Torah teaches us that life is enjoyable when it is productive. The more we fill our lives with purpose and meaning, the happier we will be. This is the meaning of the prayers which we recite on Rosh Hashanah: "Remember Us for Life" and "Inscribe Us in the Book of Life." Our request goes beyond mere survival; our request includes a prayer and a charge that the upcoming year be a productive one, one filled with purpose.
May we all be able to experience sweetness and joy, and may we live purposeful, meaningful lives this upcoming year.
Rabbi Koval
