Rosh Hashanah and the Holy Days.

 Rosh Hashanah and the Holy Days

It's that time of the year again. No, it's not Easter, Christmas or any festival of that nature. It is the end of September and, in the light of recent events, it may not be a source of celebration. But it is a holiday all the same and in the Jewish religion we love this time of the year. It's a time for thoughtful reflection, religious prayer, reverential chanting and, above all, family. Some of us will be remembering lost and loved ones while others may just want to sit down in shul(synagogue), relax with their wonderfully loving and supportive family and enjoy the freedoms that democracy has brought us, the people who mean everything to us and just the atmosphere surrounding the whole of the global Jewish community.

Once again, we will gather in our millions around the world and embark on that blissful journey towards a happy and healthy New Year. To the non- Jewish population, it may feel like a crazy time to be ushering in a New Year since our calendars tell us that we're a couple of months away from the start of the new Christian year but then we Jews do like to be awkward and contrary. And yet, in all seriousness, this is the time to feel optimistic about the immediate future despite the gloom and doom around us. 

But on Monday morning Rosh Hashanah will dawn bright and early, and that familiar service of renewal, rejuvenation, resurrection will begin, surging ahead into a world of certainty, conviction, positivity and all the good things in life. Of course, we'll be eating honey and apple because we've been doing this since time immemorial. Rather like most religions, the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah, Succot and Simchat Torah are full of symbolism, ritual, habits and customs, traditions and special moments of introspection, remorse and penance for all the sins we might have committed. Now what is it that we've done so terribly wrong and apologies are surely unnecessary.

Living in Manor House you find yourself acutely aware of the vast numbers of Orthodox Jews who will now be scurrying in and out of Jewish supermarkets, fishmongers and local shops at quite the most remarkable speed. Now begins that frantic search for round chulas, delicious cakes, a plethora of chickens for soup and fruit by the orchard load.

It is a time for recognition of this time of the year for the Jewish people, of that wonderful awareness that on Monday morning you can put to one side all of the workaday chores or perhaps pleasures of working life. You can just contemplate the sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen, the aftermath of Covid 19, and the imminent hardships that may be brought about by the domestic trials of cost- of -living issues. There may just be the small matter of Brexit and all the complications that might have presented us with. So it's a difficult time for all of us and the horrendous problem of rampant inflation is still a distressing watch.

Still, for my lovely Jewish family and friends, this could be the perfect opportunity to stop what we're doing on Monday morning and just be among our kith and kin. It is time to get out our prayer book, cast our eyes over the Hebrew literature that keeps delivering and be grateful for both our mental and physical health. We'll be assembled together in a congregation of richly uplifting harmonies, singing the blessings that have their own character, their glorious profundity and a resonance that can be heard and easily identified with.

We will march into Saracens rugby union club with our chests puffed out with pride and greet the smiles with overjoyed hugs, kisses and the collective shaking of hands. We will share a brief joke or witticism with our precious families as if it were the most natural behaviour in the world. We will be delighted to see each other since it's been ages now and besides you still look good, fine, dapper and fashionable.

Now the urban myth was that when we were younger the lovely Jews of the world would be both extremely fashion conscious and possibly self- conscious. You can still remember the ladies upstairs and downstairs at the old Beehive Lane shul( now Cranbrook United) in Ilford, Essex parading their latest styles, profusely colourful hats and designer dresses as if it were the most important part of their appearance. It happened every year without fail and none of us will ever forget it.

As a teenager you knew what you had to do every year. My late and gentlemanlike dad and yours truly would shuffle across to seats that weren't reserved and plonked ourselves down to flick through the pages of the siddur. We were accompanied by my grandma and grandpa who were devout Jews and just revelled in the whole ambience of Rosh Hashanah day. It was a time of unity, togetherness, camaraderie, humour at times and the constant hum of conversation. 

It is now that you recall with amusement the incessant whispering between those members of the synagogue who simply wanted to regale you with details about their business. All you could hear was the low undertone of chatting, giggling, laughing and then an orchestra of coughing. Looking back now it always felt that this was the way things had always been. But then you realised that the rabbis and cantors had every right to tell the congregation to be quiet. The synagogue was and always be a place of worship, prayer, thinking time, love, raising your voices to a thunderous crescendo and simply being at one with the world.

Then, as regular as clockwork, the prayer for the dead (Yiska) would be the cue for a mass exodus for the exit doors. Whole groups of families would beat a hasty retreat out of the shul and head for home in the middle of the most significant period of the service. This was never considered as strictly forbidden or a gross violation on their part but you were never quite sure why they were in such a desperate hurry particularly on Yom Kippur on the Day of the Fast. 

For my family though being part of Finchley Reform shul(synagogue) is quite the most magical experience of them all. This year we'll be holding both Succot and Simchat Torah services in our beautiful new shul, a state of the art, stunning building that is both spacious, comfortable and deeply impressive. The Torah is a splendid set of wooden stylised blocks that takes your breath away. 

Personally though you find yourself eager to embrace Saracens rugby union club. Now of course this is the most unconventional setting for a religious gathering but who are you to complain. Once you enter this room of wondrous paintings and trophy cabinets your eyes are spellbound by the many and varied sporting references. 

And once again we will file into the room in an orderly fashion into a world of unashamed achievement, success, victories, personal milestones, records broken and set again. We will lovingly drape our tallit(shawl) over our shoulders and arms, place our kippa(skull cap) very carefully on our heads and just pray for another sweet New Year. This could be the year when peace and goodwill will eventually break out but then you look at the horrendous conflict in Ukraine and despair. Still, to all my Jewish family and friends I'd like to wish you all a happy, healthy, peaceful and sweet New Year. L'shana tova to you all. Keep well.