Rabbi Diana's Weekly Message

Dear Hevre, 

We are now halfway through Elul, two weeks away from Rosh Hashanah. 

Many of us meet each morning on Zoom in community and learn from and with each other. Please join us, every morning except for Shabbat at 9:00 am (link removed for security) It’s powerful to hear the teachings from our KHN members and the sound of the shofar. 

During this season, we are engaging in a cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of our souls. Sometimes it’s painful to see what we uncover. We can beat ourselves up for mistakes we have made and get stuck in a pattern of self-blame. Certainly we do need to own up to ways we have hurt others, not done more to bring justice to our world and healing to our planet, criticized without finding ways to support, failed to bring compassion and empathy. However, self-flagellation does not contribute to self-growth. 

Rebbe Nachman taught, “If you believe that you can destroy, believe that you can repair.”

Yehudis Golshevsky writes, 

Rebbe Nachman tells us, “If you’re already at a point where you believe that the sins that you do are sinful—that they are destructive—then why not make positive use of your capacity for faith…and believe in your power to repair the damage?” 

Dear God,
Please help me to always make use of my
capacity for belief
in a way that brings me closer to You.
Belief in the power of my errors
won’t necessarily lead me to correct them.
Belief in the power of teshuvah will.
(Based on Likutey Moharan II:112)

[https://breslov.org/author/yehudisgolshevsky/]

I’m looking forward to seeing you this evening at 7:00 pm at KHN or on Zoom at:

(link removed for security)

*Please email me if you can make it in person to the Roman Meal at KHN on Sunday, September 10 at 11:00 am (see e-bulletin for details) at rabbidianamiller@gmail.com or if you want to respond to this email. 

Also, if you haven’t already, please let me know if you can attend the Shabbat morning service next week on Saturday, September 9 with Adirchai Haberman-Browns (see e-bulletin for details) and indicate what you will bring for the potluck. 

Shabbat shalom, 

Rabbi Diana