Shalom,

I have a picture at home of my, then, five year old son, Noah, standing at Edwards Air Force Base in California, holding in his little hands a small piece of the hard desert floor. We had just witnessed the landing of the Shuttle Discovery...a wonderful sight to behold...a dream fulfilled.

I have another picture as well, this time of Noah and me standing in Florida this past July, with an enormous column of smoke and steam rising into the sky behind us...the trail left by the Shuttle Atlantis. Another dream fulfilled.

Sometimes dreams can be so simple to achieve...sometimes not. Sometimes the fulfillment of our dreams requires motivation to get us to move toward them. Sometimes we can become so bogged down in our own routines that we forget to step forward. In this case, all it took was a simple phone call from Noah, "Dad, do you want to watch the Shuttle launch?"

Like that incredible experience, the High Holidays can, and do, open reminders to us about the opportunities we have to pursue and fulfill our dreams...both individual and community. It requires a sense of balance in order to approach another person in the hope that a sincere apology will be accepted. More than the acceptance, however, is the recognition that, in seeking honest forgiveness, we come to be more highly aware of how we interact with others...we learn...and we grow...and we balance.

It requires a sense of balance for a community to move forward in its life with growth and with care for one another. For when we are aware of each others presence and guiding place within the congregation we come to be aware of the entire community as a reflection of each of us...our strengths and weaknesses...our desire to evolve. And we learn ...and we grow...and we balance.

With this balance we move forward with a healthy purpose in our lives...and our dreams are realized. May we use these holidays to heal, to share, to learn, and to grow.

Shanah Tovah,

Rabbi Oblath