Happy New Year 5775!

How time flies. We're back at the beginning - Shana Tova to all! Happy New Year!

It's the beginning of the Jewish New Year! A celebration completely different than the secular one, we spend the day thinking about G-d as our King.

For me, Rosh HaShana and the upcoming holidays are a bit tough to get my head around. I am blessed with three small people, 3.5 years, 2 years and 3 months old. Getting in the mood and to synagogue is more than a small challenge (more like a bad joke). Happily, I found someone in my building who blew the shofar for me.

I'm revisiting the idea of learning something Jewish for 5 minutes a day. For anyone who thinks that 5 minutes is no big deal should come visit my home. I'm hoping to find that 5 minutes block - rather, I think it may have to be broken up into parts.

I'll share with you a series of books that I enjoy. There are at least six books in the series so far, each focusing on different parts of the Torah. I just finished Let Me Join Your Nation by Yosef Deutsch. (Took me three months, trust me, it's not a long book). It's a novelization of the Book of Ruth. Using commentaries and midrashim, he weaves a coherent narrative, fleshing out the story. What I like about it is that he includes footnotes, so if you were so inclined, you could actually check out the details. I feel like you are learning by reading a book without working too hard.

The next book I'm going to be working through is one I've read before, but it's been about six years since I've cracked it open. It's called, Toward a Meaningful Life: The Wisdom of the Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. It's got a universal message, so anyone from any faith should get something out of it - but obviously geared toward Jews. I don't remember much from the last time I read it, but I do remember enjoying it. I am excited to give it another read (as slow and painful as that may be).

So again, I'm going to try to write a weekly dvar Torah, and hopefully I won't peter out like I did last time. Try, try again!

A healthy and happy Shana Tova to all!