The sound is plaintive, but at the same time, triumphant. Like sorrow that must be released to make room for a burst of energy unlocking the floodgates of faith. That's what emanated from the ram's horn the shofar and resonated through the sanctuary at Stamford's Temple Sinai Wednesday night, the beginning of Rosh Hashanah.
"Rosh Hashanah is about looking to the future and seeing ourselves, who we are and who we want to be, in the upcoming year," said Josh Franklin, a student rabbi at Temple Sinai. "We think about all the ways we can do that."
Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the High Holy Days and the Jewish New Year. This is year 5771 on the Hebrew calendar. During last night's service, in accordance with tradition, congregants embraced the honor of participation by individually reading written passages reflecting the holiday's theme of introspection and repentance.
Franklin demonstrated the shofar after the service, which was led by Rabbi Marc Disick.
"Not only does Rosh Hashanah begin the New Year, but it's also the beginning of the Days of Awe, when we show gratitude for still being here and having this life. It's a real period of introspection," said Disick, who, during the service, discussed the strength of faith in the face of unknown and sometimes overwhelming -- odds.
"For me, simply being is the miracle," he said, adding, "Life as it is, the world as it is, is a gift."
Temple Sinai's two-day observance of Rosh Hashanah continued Thursday with morning worship, afternoon stories and music for young people, and tashlich the symbolic tossing away of sins at Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens at 3 p.m. Friday, the sanctuary at Temple Sinai, which is located at 458 Lakeside Drive, will be open for meditation and prayer from 10 a.m. to noon.
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