As you surely know, I am a proud African American Rabbi-
I had the good fortune this week of taking half my family this week to a beautiful family reunion in my native South Africa. If people travel great distances for a tragedies like a funeral, how much more so should we travel for happy occasions! Besides, there's nothing like family!
While here, we made sure to travel to the Kruger National Park- a park that is roughly the size of the State of Israel. This Game Reserve is one of the worlds largest. Travelling in our car, we saw rhinoceros, wild dogs, hyenas, zebra, giraffe and even the elusive leopard. Racing back to our camp before closing, we were actually blocked by a herd of elephants (locals say it's not a good idea to be impatient with them) and later, by a herd of giraffe. This place is truly beautiful as we connect with the beauty of nature in its purest form (even if the wild buffalo were so close that our girls were utterly terrified).
One of the animals we got really close to was this antelope, pictured, just feet from our vehicle. We were struck by the beauty of the shofars upon its head. How appropriate for this month, the last of the year, when we blow the shofar daily in anticipation of the New Year.
As this antelope struggled with his horns in the thicket, our six year old son, Sholom, remarked that the horns continue to grow as long as they are attached to the antelope. But once they are detached they grow no more.
I was struck by the simplicity of his philosophy: Just as the horns of the antelope grow as long as they are connected to their roots, I too had returned to my family and the land of my birth in South Africa, to draw strength and energy for my life and work as well.
Indeed in this month of Elul, the last month of the year, the daily blast of the shofar is intended to remind us of our roots and where we come from. The simple, primitive sound of the shofar blast remind us of our simple origins as a soul rooted in the Heavenly Throne.
It's a lot like your mobile phone. You can manage whilst disconnected from the wall. But every once in a while, you'll just have to plug it back in to its energy source so that you can enjoy another day!
As long as we remember where we come from, and remain loyal to those ideals, we thrive. If we make the mistake of abandoning our roots, be they spiritual, familial or otherwise, we run the the risk of stunting our growth and happiness.
astrologerdevanand wrote...