Page 9 - Ma Chadash Rosh Hashanah 2019
P. 9

Rabbi’s Rosh Hashanah messageWe conclude the next night with a musical Havdalah, the guitar strumming chords of Hinei mah tov and Kol ha’olam kulo into our hearts while the candle shines its light into the next week. A Shabbat in Jerusalem is over, an ex- perience that will hopefully last forever. We hope that from Jerusalem to Barnet the light will shine on.TrailblazingWhen asked by the selection committee all those months ago how we would describe ourselves, we responded in one word: Trailblazers. Although maybe a little over-con- fident, we feel a special synergy of openness, engagement and community cohesion in Barnet encouraging a new vision for authentic Anglo-Jewry. A dynamic and transformative Judaism, relevant to contemporary times. We hope that in partnership with you we can be- gin a community-wide movement in which all feel that they are nourished and offer nourish- ment to each other; spiritually and socially.Our Judaism is not simply one of many iden- tity markers (I am a job, Jew, sportsperson, etc.). Instead, our Jewishness is the core, of- fering purpose, meaning and guidance to all ar- eas of life. Otherwise, Judaism is just one of my many activities, the bits I do.Here it falls flat, unable to be more than a nice Friday night meal with family and friends, a nice social get together at the shul, a nice ideashared in a shiur. We have to do better than nice. Judaism should be electricity.What better time to begin that vision than the New Year. Rosh Hashanah is all about the big picture; setting our sights on the possibility of something renewed, something better. Unfortunately, the reality of our prayer services often fall short of this lofty goal.Experience the High Holy Days differently this year...Too often, we sit in shul on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur waiting for the time to tick away. Boredom sets in as endless words wash over our lips and pour into (and out of) our ears.But, what if this year could be different – if we could actually feel something meaningful, con- necting, even life-changing from the High Holy Day programme? What if we could Discover the depths of these days together?Doing shul differentlyOn Rosh Hashanah Day 2 from Shofar at 10:15am and Yom Kippur for Ne’ilah at 5:15pm, Barnet Shul will be convening Discovery, a unique programme comprised of workshops, spiritual exercises, poetry, medi- tation and more, as we explore and access our prayers. This fully halachic service will focus ex- clusively on the key parts of the prayers but ex- pand and enhance their meaning. All are wel- come to Discover together.Our liturgy, spiritual practices, and means of en- gagement have changed across history to meet the needs of the day. A few hundred years ago, our ancestors found it difficult to experience a depth of feeling during the prayer services and so liturgical poems (piyutim) were added. At their time, these deep and mystical texts of- fered inspiration. We need to create our own analogue for 2019.Discovery is just one example of what we hope to offer the community. This is a new journey for us as well as for Barnet. It is our privilege to travel back to the UK, ready to be- gin this journey together. We look forward to meeting you, laughing with you, crying with you, learning with you and growing upwards and onwards.Rabbi Dr Samuel Landau Ma’ayan Shoshana LandauThis is a new journey for usas well as for BarnetMa Chadash | Rosh Hashanah 5780 9


































































































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