Bob Schwartz

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5785, begins on the evening of October 2. The ten High Holidays continue until Yom Kippur on October 12.

The High Holidays are known as the Days of Repentance or the Days of Awe.

These holidays are complicated. Like SweeTARTS.

We take an unvarnished look back at what we’ve done and who we’ve been in the past year. We confess our transgressions in excruciating detail. We make a solemn commitment to do better in the year ahead.

We also leave the past year behind for the better sweeter year to come. The better sweeter us. We eat apples dipped in honey as a reminder of that possibility.

The term “Days of Awe” reflects a few things.

There is a belief that all this occurs in the face of a God that is powerful, judgmental and merciful. Something to be in awe of and afraid of.

Another perspective is that when we set aside days to look at ourselves, at others, at our relation and connection to others and to everything, we are in awe of a wonder-filled existence. Awesome

That is why we may call these the Days of Awesome. When some of us think of awesome, besides thinking theologically and philosophically, we naturally think about The Lego Movie.

Above is an image of Emmet and Wyldstyle reading from the High Holidays machzor (prayer book). The message: Everything is awesome.

Some may think that mixing up this solemn time with SweeTARTS and Legos trivializes and even desecrates the holidays. Or maybe during those special days, everything really is awesome.