Temple Shalom of Central Florida in Oxford is preparing for the Jewish New Year 5785.
This includes observance of our High Holy Days and other Holidays commemorating the Harvest and beginning of the Torah Reading Cycle. This is the high point of the year at Temple Shalom of Central Florida.
 The events started this past Saturday night with a Selichot Service which included Jewish poems and prayers leading up to the High Holy Days. All of the Torah Covers and Table Coverings were changed from their normal colorful covers to white to symbolize purity and atonement and represent the wish that sins will be made white as snow through repentance.
 Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year starts at sundown Wednesday Oct. 2.
 Samantha Sherman, president of Temple Shalom and resident of Village of Buttonwood extends her best wishes to the entire Tri-County Community. “Now, as Rosh Hashanah approaches, this holiday offers each of us a chance to renew our personal hopes and aspirations for the year ahead. It’s a time for us to carry forward the introspection of Selichot and focus on new beginnings. Whatever intentions we may have set on Saturday evening, we now begin the process of making them real.
One of the most powerful elements of Rosh Hashanah is the call of the shofar (ram’s horn) echoing across time, stirring something deep within us. Its ancient blast is a reminder of both where we have been and where we hope to go. The sound of the shofar asks us to wake up, to listen closely, and to respond with purpose.
 Rabbi Zev Sonnenstein will lead all High Holy Day Services accompanied by the Temple Shalom Choir. Rabbi is assisted by the Temple Ritual Committee who plan all the holiday services and events.
“On Rosh Hashanah, we celebrate life and the possibility of new beginnings. We affirm the freedom and responsibility we have, to conduct our lives with decency and morality. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we focus on the mistakes we make when we fail to exercise our freedom with responsibility. We seek atonement and forgiveness for our mistakes, and we experience the fragility of life. We realize that we want to make a meaningful difference by the way we live our lives while we still can and do teshuvah. Contained within the word teshuvah is the root shuv, meaning to turn, return, reflect and learn how we can be our best selves and our best as a community,” the rabbi said.
The full schedule and events is on the Temple’s website tscfl.org. Some events require tickets. Email questions to ritual@tscfl.org or call 352-748-1800.
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