Shana Tova – שנה טובה

Wishes for a healthy and sweet 5782!

As we leave 5781 and prepare to enter 5782, we wish you and yours a year of health, sweetness, renewal, and joy. While we are deeply aware of the pain and suffering that surround us; caused by natural disasters, the pandemic, and injustices in our country and around the world, we hold the blessings and beauty of the many forms of hope, kindness, healing, and renewal that continue to thrive around us. We are especially grateful to experience many of these blessings firsthand with the people who make up the Den community:

Hope: Over the past year community members from Maryland, DC, and Northern Virginia poured over Jewish texts in a variety of classes, exploring questions around identity, social responsibility, kindness, love, and the imperative to partner with God to bring healing to our world. Through our education empowerment model, we saw the growth of more peer-led learning offerings. Daily, we are witness to the small and big ways people in our community put their learning into action l’taken olam - to repair our world.

Kindness: Our community members and staff team delivered numerous Shabbat meals to the homes of new parent(s), to those who had fallen ill, were grieving the loss of a loved one, and also to those who moved to a new home.

Healing: Our rabbis provided over 2000 pastoral care interactions, being present with our community members to explore life’s biggest questions and to also offer support to those experiencing loneliness, anxiety, and isolation during the pandemic. Social workers, medical professionals, therapists and other professionals within the Den community volunteered their time and expertise to support our community in a variety of ways as we navigated the pandemic, and helped us devise a policy to safely gather together.

Renewal: We are grateful to be gathering outdoors and in person at this time, while also continuing to offer opportunities to gather virtually. Last Saturday night we came together in person for an outdoor Selichot service in the backyard of a donor’s home — it was the first time in 18 months we sang together in person, and it was glorious!

May this new year bring you and yours many opportunities to witness the blessings all around us, while we continue to work in partnership to bring healing to our beloved world.

Blessings for a healthy, sweet, and joyous new year.

Shana Tova u’metukah,

Rabbi Aderet + Rabbi Jenna

PS View the innovative ways we are celebrating the new year together!