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I’m not a particularly religious person, but I was raised in a church-going family and have enjoyed many of the Christian traditions over the years such as Christmas eve caroling and sunrise Easter services. But – I gotta be honest – nothing quite measures up to the festivities enjoyed by many Jewish families, especially at this time of year. Tonight at sundown, Rosh Hashanah begins, and for those who may not be familiar with the holiday, it’s the celebration of the new year according to the Jewish calendar.
Now I married my wife, who is Jewish, seven years ago and am still getting used to many of her family’s traditions, so forgive me if I get any of the details wrong, but there are a couple of characteristics of this holiday in particular that I’d like to highlight. First is the tradition of dipping apples in honey during the Rosh Hashanah feast, which my family will be enjoying Thursday night this week. This practice of making something sweet even sweeter is a particularly optimistic symbol of the hopes for a sweet new year. The other aspect of this holiday that I love is the sounding of the Shofar. The shofar is an instrument traditionally made from a rams horn, which can be blown like a trumpet if the tip is cut off. Blowing the shofar is similar to shouting “Happy New Year” and blowing those noisemakers on January 1st of the Roman Calendar, except way cooler because it’s REALLY loud, and we always see who can sound the longest note.
So what does this do for us secular folk? Well, for me, it adds one more element to the many reasons why I love this time of year. On my drive into work this morning, the tips of the leaves were starting to show orange. The combination of warm sun and cool air in the afternoon is just perfect. It’s almost time to head out to the local pick-your-own farm to get apples and pumpkins, ride the hayride, and drink warm cider with apple fritters. Even as a teacher having to head back to work – I LOVE autumn! It is a sweet time of year, and it’s no coincidence that apples figure prominently in both the seasonal celebration and the Jewish tradition – even Halloween candy seems to fit in with the idea of a sweet new year, especially since the school year starts around the same time as the Jewish New Year.
I remember when my wife, Stephanie, and I first started dating, it was September. Her daughter had just turned ten years old, and I had never gone out with a woman who had children before. So when Stephanie suggested going to pick out pumpkins from the farm, the three of us, after only a few dates, I was surprised. Now, I wasn’t particularly intimidated by this prospect – I love kids, and my stepdaughter Sabrina has always been nice and welcoming. But I wasn’t sure how the afternoon would go, never having been to an actual pumpkin patch before. “What would we do all day?” I thought.
But we grabbed a little red wagon, walked across the damp grass on a foggy fall morning to find the pumpkin with just the right shape. We stopped near the barn where they had a hay-bale maze set up, which Sabrina was just starting to be too tall to navigate without cheating by looking up over the wall. We missed the hayride that year, but everything was new to me, including the homemade fruit logs which put storebought fruit leather and roll-ups to shame. I was like a little kid again, enjoying the fall festival as much with Sabrina from the perspective of a child as I was with Stephanie, my not-quite-girlfriend yet at the time. There was PLENTY to do, and it remains one of my best memories of my new family.
Keep in mind that before this particular relationship, I lived alone, a single guy in his thirties, passing my days in a small condo playing video games all day. The closest I got to a cool autumn day or apples was if my Night Elf priest happened to be wandering near the human city of Stormwind in the Azeroth of World of Warcraft. But even these days, it’s easy to find myself in a deadly social media cycle, where I’m clicking Facebook, Twitter, and email even when I have no notifications. And maybe your kids have been sucked into the Minecraft vortex where the game practically becomes their whole world. Meanwhile, outside there’s this gorgeous fall weather just waiting to be enjoyed.
Here’s what I learned.
This is the time of year not to be missed! Whether you’re enjoying Rosh Hashanah festivities or going to fall festivals; whether your dipping your apples or bobbing for apples; it’s a magical time to be outside blowing the shofar and celebrating the season. Even when I feel the need to be on my computer or reading my Kindle, I sit out on the deck with a sweater on. Make sure you bring the family out with you, too, even if your son insists on playing his Nintendo DS while swinging on the swing set.
It’s a sweet new year and a beautiful new season, and as we pass through the autumnal equinox, the night is about to start getting longer. Seize the day before it gets shorter! When snow is on the ground and we can’t go outside as often, we’re going to wish we had enjoyed it more now. Similarly in the autumn of our lives, we should enjoy the time when our knees will still allow us to throw the frisbee now and then. You’ve probably noticed a theme in all of my Stuff I Learned Yesterday guest spots – LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST! And L’Shana Tovah – Happy New Year.
I’m Michael Ahr and this has been stuff I learned yesterday.
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