Rosh U 5773

“Let the old become renewed and the new become sanctified”

Hearing other’s voices: a group discussion on renewing and

sanctifying ourselves

Mark Givarz, Creighton Cohn, Neil Peters

Introduction:

Our topic for discussion this morning is “Renewing and sanctifying ourselves” which ties in to the theme for the year, which is “Let the old become renewed and the new become sanctified.” What this means to each of us will undoubtedly vary.

I’d like to start by having you think about some of the words and what they mean, especially: Renew, sanctify, old, new and ourselves. Each is a relative term that can be used to mean many different things depending on its context. How we use each of them today, will largely be up to you all.

Each of us will have our own perspective and ideas and this morning that is what we are going to discuss. I hope you will all share your points of view and listen to others. Maybe you will agree, maybe you will disagree, maybe your opinion will change, maybe it won’t, maybe you will learn something and maybe, I hope, all of these will happen.

In order to have a meaningful discussion, I want to start out with a few ground rules.

Ground rules:

  1. Our goal is to have an open discussion where everyone’s opinion is respected, not criticized. Conversation is encouraged, confrontation is not.
  2. The conversation will often be of a rather personal nature, so please respect everyone’s privacy by agreeing that all comments made in this spacestay in this space.
  3. Please discuss only yourownopinion from your own experiences.
  4. Please allow others time to speak as well and don’t interrupt.
  5. My role as facilitator is to keep the conversation on track, as well as to do my best to ensure everyone has an opportunity to speak. In that role, it may be needed to gently interrupt, or redirect someone. Please try to be understanding.

Starting Questions:

  • What does “Let the old become renewed and let the New become sanctified” mean to you?
  • As we grow into our lives, do we see ‘old’ and ‘new’ differently?
  • How does this relate to our Jewish experience?
  • We are always new at something…many here are newlyweds, or new parents, or new grandparents… even new shoes - Perhaps you are new to town, new to your job, new to our Shul…
  • Is there a different between these being new and renewed?
  • Can something new be renewed?
  • Can something new be old?
  • Is there something in Judaism that you think should be renewed or reinvented?
  • What and how?
  • Do you think God cares if we use old ways or new ways to communicate with God?
  • Do you ever go anywhere else to daven
  • Is that new to you?
  • Do you like it?
  • Do you always jump up at the end of Ashrei, wherever you are?
  • Perhaps your family has been at BA for many generations, do you take comfort in the ‘old’, and reject the ‘new’?

Other Questions for Discussion (in no particular order):

  • How do the ‘old’ prayers resonate in your life today?
  • Does the new Machzor help you understand the old?
  • How and why?
  • Are we talking about reinventing the 2500-year old Jewish experience?
  • Is the old not good anymore, does it not have meaning?
  • Why is it important for things to become new?
  • Is there anything in our Judaism that you cannot be “renewed?”
  • Is there anything new in our Judaism that just cannot be sanctified?

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