Transitions

By Jonathan Hack
Clarck University

One of the more challenging experiences in life is transitioning. As Jews we are constantly marking the completion of one act and recognizing the duties and responsibilities of what lies ahead. Friday evenings we mark the coming of Shabbat through the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Weekly, on Saturday nights, we say hamavdil bein kodesh l'hol (the distinction between holy and mundane). What arises is a minute awareness of the changing situations in which we find ourselves. Yet transitions are not easy, nor are they necessarily smooth. There have been times where I have dreaded the end of Shabbat, knowing that Sunday would bring with it the need to start that paper I had put off. We can all think of a myriad of examples detailing our various transitions, both positive and negative, though personally, I have recently begun a transition which has yielded lots of introspection.

Towards the end of my four years of college, it came time for me to decide what to do after graduation. I knew I needed to start a transition, but to what? After an arduous and drawn-out application process, the proper path presented itself in an unforeseen way. After spending four years trying to help build a Jewish community on campus, it became clear that my life truly revolved around educating others about the unique joys of Judaism and a traditional Jewish lifestyle. For me the correct path was rabbinical school; the question then became where. In the end I have chosen to begin my studies at the Jewish Theological Seminary, but that has not come without fear and apprehension.

I find myself sitting in the waiting stage. As Dr. Seuss describes it in Oh, the Places You'll Go, you find yourself in "a most useless place. The Waiting Place…" It is that part of the transition where time takes its hold and you are in limbo. There is a destination, but so very little is known. It is at this point where we find ourselves guessing, predicting, planning and ultimately realizing we need to just do what is necessary until we can emerge from the "Waiting Place" and start anew.

As we begin the new month of Elul, there could not be a more fitting time to assess our transitions. Rosh Hodesh Elul marks the last few weeks before we enter a new year. We transition from the year past to the one ahead. From missed opportunities to new chances. Whether starting a new school, continuing in a higher grade or beginning life in the work force, we are all transitioning and we are all changing. I challenge all of you to think about what it means to take those steps to transition and what it means to those around you who are taking that journey with you. It is customary to say Shehehiyanu when we reach a milestone. For me, saying that brakhah is the most rewarding when I know I have left the "Waiting Place" and have fully embraced what it means to be in a new place.

Jonathan Hack has recently graduated from Clark University in Worcester, MA and will be starting rabbinical school at JTS in the fall.

[Posted 8/19/09]