THE JOY OF MOVEMENT

Dear Family,

I hope everyone is well and had a good Rosh Hashanah.

It should be a gmar chasimah tovah for everyone.

This week's Sedra is Vayelech - He TRAVELLED (or WENT)

This term implies MOVEMENT.

Physical movement is through steps, and these steps could have many varieties of style and character.

When Bnei Yisrael used to go up to Yerushalayim for the Shalosh Regalim (Pilgrimage Festivals) it is said that they would be accompanied by thousands of angels. These angels were created at each STEP that was taken on the journey, and the thousands of people and myriads of angels, arrived in Yerushalayim with GREAT JOY.

I don't know exactly why, but I often associate the process and experience of tefillah (prayer) with movement.

With a journey, we reach our destination taking one step at a time and it is these steps which carry us.

In truth we could just relax and let the steps transport us.

And with tefillah, there are the WORDS.

The words are the steps which carry us through the journey of the prayer.

Even if one does not know the meaning of the words, they are holy and pure and transport, and we can just enjoy this movement and good company.

And the steps should be sure by saying the words properly.

Yom Kippur is coming up at the end of these 10 days of Teshuvah between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and the length of davening on Yom Kippur is like a 'marathon'.

This involves many hours of looking in at the words of the prayers, which is a challenge.

But I know that our Family is not afraid of a challenge!

The pace and style of the movement can be varied and there can also be singing.

And on the holiest day of the year, these prayers can be achieved, and also accomplished WITH GREAT AWE AND JOY.

Gut Shabbos and Gut Yom Tov to all