The Charlotte Jewish News- September 2025- Page 22
Celebrating The High Holidays In Charlotte
By Rabbi Michael Wolk
So many holidays! That’ s the feeling that Jewish people have when September and October roll around on the calendar. It’ s a lot of work for clergy, but Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah offer every Jewish person or family the chance to make them their own.
Many of our holidays like Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are so old that they go back to the Torah. Describing the Moadim— or sacred times— the Torah says,“ These are the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you shall proclaim( Leviticus 23:4).”“ The rabbis of the Talmud, who studied every word of the Torah closely, wondered about the final clause in that verse. If God has already told us when the holidays are, why is it necessary for us to announce them?”
The answer is not so simple and relates to the way Jews used to count time. Long before calendars were set and we could look up when Rosh HaShanah or Passover would be in 2025, Jews had to look, instead, to the moon. The rabbinic courts of ancient Jerusalem would hear
From The Bimah
Proclaiming the High Holidays, Then and Now
from witnesses who testified to having observed a new moon, and they would then declare the beginning of a new month. Only after the new month was announced would Jewish people know when to celebrate the holidays that might take place during that month.
It was an imprecise system, and the rabbis were aware of it. They knew that if they got the month wrong, the entire Jewish people would begin the holidays on the wrong days, so they imagined God’ s loving understanding of our mistakes. The verse in Leviticus includes the phrase“ you shall proclaim” because God will be happy to celebrate Rosh Ha- Shanah, Yom Kippur, or Sukkot with us even if we’ re off by a day. God understands our limitations, and is appreciative of the effort.
Today of course, we do not have the same excuses as our ancestors. We know with scientific accuracy when the new moon will appear in the sky, when a new Jewish month will start, and the right day to celebrate every holiday, but I think that we can re-interpret the verse and its significance. Our holidays will come and go whether we mark them or not, but only we have the ability to make them special.
It’ s not the date on the calendar that makes Rosh HaShanah or Yom Kippur holy— it’ s what we bring to it. When we gather to pray and hear the Shofar, we declare that a new year has started. When we eat a new fruit or new food on Rosh HaShanah, we turn it into a moment of gratitude and wonder. When we toss breadcrumbs into the water for Tashlikh, we affirm that it’ s possible to change bad habits this year. When we listen to the haunting ancient melody of Kol Nidre, we remind ourselves the power of our word to harm or to heal. When we build a Sukkah, we remember that there is joy in simplicity. When we dance with the Torah on Simchat Torah, we celebrate our ongoing relationship with Jewish tradition in times of mourning and in times of joy.
As we start the new year together, how will you choose to make each holiday special?
Wishing you a sweet and meaningful New Year. May it be filled with health, happiness, and peace.