https://youtu.be/ySEsm1Kx318 Next to me here in Audubon Park is the Tree of Life. Just imagine all of the moments this tree has witnessed throughout the years, the storms it has weathered, the weddings celebrated underneath its branches. Next to this Tree of Life, the shofar calls us to celebrate life.

https://youtu.be/owf7h4v4sl4 Today is the new moon — the first day of the month of Elul — which marks the beginning of the High Holiday season. Over the course of this month, the moon will wax until it’s full, and when it disappears in the sky again, we enter the new year with Rosh HaShanah. Take a look at the sky each night — the moon is a reminder of the sacred time we are entering. Each day over the course of this month the shofar calls us, reminding us to prepare to make the most of the coming new year. Poet Marcia Falk wrote this reflection: In the clearingWhere the mind flowersAnd the world sprouts up at every ...