Welcoming the sun and the new year

Rosh Hashanah.
The Jewish New Year.
The anniversary of the birthday of the world.

(Yesterday, we learned that in fact this birthday celebrates the sixth day of creation, when man came into the picture, and not the first day. I could write reams on that alone, but am too tired after 2 days of services and - the true reason for the exhaustion - getting up early.)

We had a special celebration today, the second day of Rosh Hashanah, as the sun deigned to make a full-out appearance. For a while, in any case. Enough to make me wish we could be a little more pagan in our observance and move it up the road to Rock Creek Park. Still, throughout the holiday, there has been plenty of gratitude expressed for the beauty and glory of nature, as well as references to our responsibility to safeguard and, now, restore it.

Tikkun olam.
Healing the world.
We have our tasks.

I expect to return to the issues raised by the various themes of the High Holy Days as we move through the Days of Awe, culminating in Yom Kippur next Friday night and all day Saturday. But for now, here is a poem that is included in the Rosh Hashanah prayer book compiled by my unaffiliated, GLBT synagogue, which seems particularly appropriate to both the birthday of the world and the return of the sun.  (We could get into a whole other discussion about the third verse, as this year's services have been addressing issues of doubt and questioning, struggling with issues of belief. Doubting, questioning, challenging... a very Jewish approach to everything. Including God. If there is a God...)

The poem, then.
And wishes to all who celebrate for a sweet new year,
filled with health, happiness, love, and peace.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

i thank You God for most this amazing
by e.e. cummings

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)