A series of lectures by Rabbi Sholom Leverton will focus on the upcoming Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
By: Michael Arges
EAST WINDSOR Preparation is the key to keeping the high of the High Holy Days going throughout the year, said Rabbi Sholom Leverton, director of Chabad of the Windsors.
"Brush Up on Your High Holiday Knowledge" is the title of a three-part lecture series sponsored by the Chabad to prepare students for the momentous spiritual encounters of the Jewish High Holy Days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
"Judgment Day Is That Your Final Answer?" is the first of the three lectures Rabbi Leverton will give on Sunday evenings at 7:30 on Sept. 2, 9 and 23. The focus for this first lecture is Rosh Hashana, the day of judgment and the day commemorating the creation of human kind, Rabbi Leverton said. This year Rosh Hashana runs from sundown on Sept. 18 to sundown on Sept. 19.
"This will be tips on how to make your case before God, the king of kings and lord of lords," Rabbi Leverton added. "A person’s actions, thoughts, deeds and misdeeds are all laid out on the table and looked at for a blessing in the year ahead."
No one would go into a civil or criminal court case without preparation so individuals should also prepare themselves spiritually to put their case before God at the time of Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Leverton noted. This first session will help them prepare themselves in a meaningful way by knowing the prayers and understanding the main themes associated with the holiday.
Part two, "A New Year A New You," also concerns Rosh Hashana. Understanding the deeper meaning of Rosh Hashana symbols and rituals will help make the holiday a continuing reality, Rabbi Leverton suggested. The whole point of the High Holy Days is to influence one’s day-to-day behavior throughout the year.
"We wish everybody else a happy new year, and everything should go sweet and healthy and wonderful, but then we leave the temple and we leave much of the spirit and enthusiasm and uplifting experience behind us," Rabbi Leverton explained. "What we want to discover is how to remain high after the high holidays."
Rabbi Leverton said one way to deeper meaning that is explored in the lectures is the Jewish mystical symbolic tradition of Kabala.
"We are going to go through the mystical and kabalistic interpretations of the main themes of the holiday, such as the blowing of the shofar, for example," the rabbi said.
The shofar, the traditional ram’s horn instrument blown on Rosh Hashana, has many symbolic dimensions.
"The shofar is a very simple, broken cry from the heart," Rabbi Leverton noted. "Every soul cries out uniquely to God in its own way."
In addition to the lecture, also on Sept. 9, there will be an opportunity from 2 to 4 p.m. for children to make their own genuine shofar.
"We’re going to turn real, unfinished ram horns into kosher shofars," Rabbi Leverton said. "I want the children each to have their own shofar, to learn how to blow it, learn all the different sounds, how they’re made and therefore it will be so much more meaningful."
Children and their parents will sand, clean and polish the ram’s horns and learn about the significance of the shofar in Jewish tradition. There will be a minimal charge and reservations are strongly suggested.
Part three of the lecture series is about Yom Kippur, which comes 10 days after Rosh Hashana, from sundown Sept. 26 to sundown Sept. 27. The title is "Soul’ed."
"We’re going to discuss this day, which has three main themes: feeling, fervor and fasting," Rabbi Leverton said. "It’s a totally spiritual experience through the fasting, through the full day of prayer services."
Another special event leading up to High Holy Days is the Chabad’s monthly women’s group, which will be held at 8 p.m. Sept. 10. Noted author and speaker Rus Walen will speak on "Judaism’s Gift: Rosh Hashana, A Chance to Begin Again." She will address themes of renewal and rebirth and spiritual awakening.
It is great to be present for the celebration of the High Holy Days, Rabbi Leverton said. "But to be prepared, to know the whys and the ins and the outs, will make it something that a person will be able to take with them in the weeks and the months ahead," he said, "as opposed to a fleeting experience."
For information about these events, call 449-9369.

