blogs/cantor-herschel-fox

Summertime

I've always seen summer as a great opportunity. Without question, we all need to rest, refresh, and “catch up with ourselves.” Our life is hectic, busy, full of emails, and constant stimulations. We all need to slow down recharge, and relax.

For me now, summertime is a time to rethink priorities. Without a question, we can pause and do some of the important things we just don't seem to have time to do all year. We have an opportunity to reconnect to family and friends we haven't seen- we have a time to begin to grow in areas we've neglected. Rabbi Israel Shore in Boro Park, Brooklyn, at the end of June, once said in a sermon- In the summer, we can reconnect to Judaism. We can begin to study and grow as Jews.

Hopefully with the extra leisure time, we can do important “Jewish things” For example; we can learn to read Hebrew. We can grow spiritually, and we can begin to reenergize our Jewish life. Let's try not to put off things that are really meaningful and important to us all.

To be honest, I see summer as a prelude to the coming High Holy Days, when we take stock of ourselves and to our God. May this be the best summer and the best year of your life.