Summer is winding down. Soon school will begin again, the five minute drives across town will stretch to twenty minutes or longer and before we know it, it will be Labor Day weekend and Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and the Days of Awe will be upon us.

     The month of Elul is meant to be a month of preparation, a month to get ourselves and our souls ready for examination, to begin the process of looking within. That process is about closing the books on 5770 to begin 5771 with a clean slate. It is our annual chance to begin with a fresh start.

     That isn’t to say that we aren’t influenced by the year that is ending; our lives will forever bear the imprint of every action that we have taken and opportunity missed. It does mean that we can learn from the year gone by. It does mean that we can release the burdens of the previous year and begin anew.

     I find that to be one of the most attractive and inspring aspects of Judaism: our chance for continuing renewal. Each year, each month, each week, and each day, has the sense of something new and renewed. From our prayer each Rosh Hashanah that God “t’chadeish aleinu shanah tovah u’metukah – renews us for a sweet and good new year” to the daily acknowledgement that God ”m’chadeish b’chol yom tamid ma’aseh vereishit – renews daily the works of creation.” Each unit of time is seen as being an opportunity for renewal.

     As we look ahead to the beginning of this new year of 5771, may it be a year of renewal for all of us, as individuals, as families and as a community.

     Karen, Ari and Orli join me in wish all of you a Shanah tovah u’metukah – a sweet and happy new year!