I went into the coffee shop, and the waiter, who had noticed me taking a picture, said: \u201cBottles, tefillin, remembrance – it\u2019s amazing how many good things you can do all at once.\u201d<\/p>\n
The second image was in Or HaGanuz, a magical moshav in the Galilee. The community was founded by Jews who became observant later in life, and they live there cooperatively, almost like a kibbutz, guided by ideals of brotherhood and unity.<\/p>\n
Among other things, they run a winery. Their motto is: \u201cWine created out of love for people, love for God, and love for wine.\u201d Their wines carry a wide range of kosher certifications, they explained, \u201cto increase unity, so that everyone can drink them.\u201d<\/p>\n
View from a winery in Or HaGanuz located in the Upper Galilee, April 20, 2008. (credit: YAAKOV NAUMI\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n
At the entrance to the winery, I found a prayer engraved on a large wooden plaque: \u201cThe Winemaker\u2019s Prayer.\u201d I learned that it was composed by Dr. Arkady Papikian and Prof. Amos Hadas, two of Israel\u2019s leading wine experts.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe pray for our wine,\u201d the people at the winery told me. \u201cThis is wine that will be used for Kiddush, at the Seder table, and at other occasions throughout the Jewish world. For us, this isn\u2019t just a livelihood. It\u2019s a mission.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prayer is remarkably detailed. It asks for blessing upon the wine itself, upon the bacteria and yeast, upon the growers who tend the grapes, upon the wineries and every stage of the process, \u201cso that it may bring health and joy to all who drink it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Today is election day!<\/p>\n
\u201cToday is the start of election season<\/a>,\u201d someone said to me this week with a smile. I didn\u2019t understand what he meant at first, but then I realized: Yes, today is the first day of the month of Elul.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is indeed the start of a turbulent election season, but one that takes place inside of us: What kind of Jew will we decide to be in the coming year? What will we decide to change and improve? And also, how much effort will we exert to follow the upcoming political season with all its surveys, commentaries, and \u201cspins,\u201d and how much time will we devote to our own personal \u201celections,\u201d dedicating ourselves to refining our conduct and improving our character traits?<\/p>\n There are 40 days between the first day of Elul and Yom Kippur. This is the time for our annual inspection test – not for our car, but for our soul. From time immemorial, this has been the season in the Jewish year for \u201crecalculating our route\u201d and recalibrating a spiritually healthy life balance.<\/p>\n Our sages teach us that the most practical way to achieve self-improvement is to focus on one area of our lives that we would like to change, something small that we would like to amend in the coming year. I invite you to consider what your own personal area of focus will be.<\/p>\n Elul reminds us that our \u201cvotes\u201d are not only cast once every four years in the election booth, but at every moment of our lives – in our daily behavior, our attempts to grow stronger, and in every decision that we make, from the most important to the least significant, including those seemingly insignificant decisions that we hardly pay attention to.<\/p>\n To return – inward!<\/p>\n During the month of Elul, there is a lot of discussion about repentance. The Hebrew word for repentance is \u201cteshuva,\u201d but what does that actually mean?<\/p>\n