Anticipation of Spring

Rabbi Douglas Kohn

rabbikohn@bethelsp.org

Dear Friends,

It is March, which means that we are on the cusp of springtime. And, we have had a long, wet, windy winter—which may be great for our water table and snow pack—but we are ready for our patent sunshine and beautiful, crisp days, again.

In the words of the biblical Song of Songs… the winter is past, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in the air.

Spring brings not only the nicer weather, but it brings some obligations. For those who tend gardens, there is much to do with preparing beds and new planting. For those who tend a personal, spiritual life, spring is the harbinger of new awakening, new buds, and new possibility. And, for those who tend synagogues, there is reflection, evaluating and preparation. We have our wonderful spring celebrations of Purim and Pesah, and our readying for completing the academic and programmatic seasons of Temple life, but there is more.

Spring brings anticipation.

At Temple Beth El, we have a new season of change coming upon us. Spring brings the awareness of expectation. It is clear that the year which was, is giving way to something new. What will this new look like? What do we want, what do we not want? Spring begs and demands these questions and answers.

So, as we roll into March, and the month of Adar in our Hebrew calendar, we shed the sweaters which kept us warm, and the blankets which sheltered us, and we open ourselves to the great What‘s Next.

Nothing is more compelling to the imagination than our springtime. Let’s see what the voice of the turtledove heralds!

Rabbi Douglas Kohn