Well, I had hoped that by now I would have visited at least one Jewish cultural site or literary event in New York City and have been able to share the experience with all of you.  Sadly, however, it turns out that conventional wisdom holds true: graduate students have no life.  Perhaps in a few weeks, once I’ve got a routine down, I can work on becoming the next Jewish Rick Steves.  (I can see it now: Jewish Literature Through the Back Door!)

In the meantime, however, I want to remind you all that there’s a really big day coming up.  I’ll give you a hint: it involves apples and honey and big sparkling balls dropping in Times Square…

Wait. Scratch that last one.  But otherwise, yes, you guessed right: this upcoming weekend is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year!  Whether you mark the day with a big family get-together or a day full of prayer in Synagogue, it’s easy to feel that sense of joy and community which permeates the holiday.

Now, if you do happen to be a synagogue-goer on Rosh Hashana, make sure that you don’t snooze off during the Torah readings.  Rosh Hashana Torah reading is where all the action is: you’ve got the story about God promising 90-year old Sarah that she will bear a son; the story of the binding of Isaac, her son; and the Haftorah portion about Hannah, whose story inspired the Jewish conception of prayer.  Take some time to read these stories, and to think about their histories and implications.  These stories are the foundations for Jewish historical conceptions of prayer, of God, and of peoplehood.  Reading them, perhaps you’ll learn a bit about ancient Jewish history.  You may gain new insight into why Jews pray the way that they do, or about the language that Jews use to talk about God.  Perhaps you’ll even be personally inspired.  Whatever you take away from the Rosh Hashana Torah readings, one thing is for certain: you’ll learn that Tanakh certainly ain’t dull.

Wishing you all a happy and sweet New Year,
Naomi