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High Holiday:
Private and Public Prayer

Charlotte Fonrobert: As we approach the High Holidays, once again we face the fruitful yet demanding tension between individual and collective, between private and public notions of religious life that pervade Jewish tradition. The rabbinic sources suggest that the eruv has something quite beautiful and deep to teach, something that is related to the paradox we encounter on the High Holidays.
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Marla Feldman: Since September 11th, a conversation has been brewing within the American Jewish community about how to balance our historic support for civil liberties with our growing awareness of the risks of terrorism and the need to protect ourselves from external threats. How much privacy are we willing to give up in exchange for a greater feeling of security? And how much risk are we willing to bear in order to live in a free and open society?
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Erica Brown: The High Holidays are a first person, singular, spiritual experience. Both prayers and Torah readings point to a private and emotional spiritual encounter with God. Abraham descended Mount Moriah alone. Hannah battled her infertility alone. Jonah ran away from God by himself. In Mizmor L’Dovid, the psalm we read from the beginning of Elul until the holiday season is over, David asked for only one thing: to dwell alone with God in His sanctuary. David asked for no company other than the divine presence.
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Jocelyn Odenheimer: After I spent four years in the JTS rabbinical program, how did my life evolve to become a mother of eight children and a dance instructor living in Gush Etzion?  
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What is the tension between the singular private place of prayer and the collective reading of "We have sinned?"

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Quote of the Month

"When we make ourselves numb to the immediacy and power of life in the moment, we make it easier to disobey the Divine call. This numbness is the environment of sin, of turning away from life."

David Gedzelman, "Life Immediate"

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