FROM OUR SPIRITUAL LEADER, CANTOR RICHARD M. BERLIN

Is it time to change the calendar, send kids back to school and anticipate the anxiety and beauty of autumn? Yes, it is. The 40-day period of introspection in the Jewish calendar begins on 1 Elul (this year, Sunday evening, Sept. 4), preparing us with Selichot (Sat. night, Sept. 24) bringing us to Rosh Hashanah (Oct. 4-5) and lasts through Yom Kippur (Oct. 13). But the season really continues with Sukkot (Oct. 18-24) and Sh'mini Atseret - Simchat Torah (Oct. 25-26). The New Year, Day of Atonement, Harvest / Thanksgiving, Prayer for Rain and the Celebration of Completing and Beginning Anew the Torah Cycle - what else could one be looking for?

The High Holy Day season (Yamim Nora'im, the Awesome Days) has a unique ability to pull Jews toward synagogues and to homes of family and friends like no other time of the year (except the Pesach seder perhaps, for the latter). It is a time of the year to be sincere about our humanness and our Jewishness. If we participate in all of it, this season really has it all.

I believe some of the "power of the pull" is in a bit of a Catch-22, what I'd like to call the "Potential of the Experiential." I believe Jews are drawn to the High Holy Days in great part because of the drama and the possibility that something could happen or change at this time of the year. Yet often as moderns, we choose to reject those moments, thinking we can merely intellectualize them, we have risen above the needs of our ancestors or even that our needs as human beings are different from (some dare say more advanced than) our ancestors.

Many of the concerns we face today are because we often neglect the experiential. This is a time of the year to be shaken from the stupor of indifference and apathy and to make the most of being humans and Jews. Rosh Hashanah is "harat olam, the birthday of the world." It is clearly a fiscal opportunity to renew, recharge and reJEWvinate.

The crowds in synagogues, sanctuaries gleaming in seasonal white, the machzor (cycle -- the special festival prayer book, a guide that can truly help us achieve what we seek), the grandeur of the season's music, Tashlikh at a neighboring body of water, the holidays' delicacies that bring back memories and create present moments - these and more - when we immerse ourselves in them, we have the capability to feel much for what we yearn.

This is the time of the year to celebrate the greatness of Jewish music. When Christians are celebrating Christmas and to a lesser degree, Easter, we often feel that Hanukkah's music pales in unfair and unnecessary comparison. This is the time to be proud of the heritage of great Jewish music as we return yearly to hear the most sacred and treasured melodies of our tradition - the Great Aleinu, Kol Nidre, Untane Tokef, Avinu Malkeinu and the familiar nuscha'ot of the Yamim Nora'im. ...

For the rest of the story, read the Scribe.

Ready to submit your article?

Want to be a Roving reporter or a Feature Columnist?

The Scribe is ready for YOU!!

Contact our Scribe Editor bt clicking the link below.

To the Scribe Editor

From the President's Desk,
Robert E. Korfin

On the bottom of our PJC letterhead, it reads, "For the Good of the Children --.For the Preservation of our Heritage." That seems to be the primary purpose of many synagogues; to educate the kinder; to see them through to B'nai Mitzvah or beyond. We have been doing that at Parkway for many years. In fact, we did it better than other synagogues in Pittsburgh.

Over the years, many members and visitors attending Bar/Bat Mitzvahs told me, "The way you do it here at PJC, is the way it's supposed to be done. I wish my shul prepared the kids the way you do it here."

We are still continuing that tradition, only today our numbers have dwindled. There are less than a dozen children in the PJC Religious School. This is a far cry from the days of school photos showing our kids filling a large part of the parking lot, and when Sunday School was conducted in two sessions.

Gone are the days of multiple Bar/Bat Mitvahs each year. We are entering another exciting time in our history. The kids who celebrated Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and Confirmations are about to celebrate weddings. Here is a rundown:

Carrie Frischman recently was married to Enrico Nardini at Parkway Jewish Center. Carrie is currently employed at the Jewish Federation in Oakland. She is also the editor of The Scribe, and doing wonderful job. Enrico recently graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Master's in Exercise Physiology and is employed at the Jewish Community Center.

Emily Scheinberg recently announced her engaged to Abe Powell. Emily is an elementary school teacher in Reading. Abe is in a management program with Eat N' Park, also in the Reading area. They met while attending Penn State University.

Geremy Goldstein recently announced his engagement to Stephanie Schurgot. Geremy graduated from California University of PA and Stephanie is studying for a Masters in Elementary Education.

My very own Jessi recently announced her engagement to Michael Malkin. They both teach middle school in Newport News, Virginia. Jessi and Michael met while attending a Hebrew Educators Conference in Columbus, Ohio.

We wish all of them the very best of luck, and may they be blessed with good health and happiness. And in the future, may they do their best to rebuild Religious Schools wherever they live. In short -- make babies.

Speaking of Simchas, it will truly feel like a Simcha, ....

For more, read the Scribe!!