High Holy Days In View

There are orthodox neighborhoods in which minyanim assemble at the earliest time permitted by halacha, imparting the blast of the Shofar to the neighbors who have no reason to be awake at that hour.  A requirement of the morning services of Elul to usher in the Holy Days as the month ticks down.  Locally, at the Conservative and Reform congregations, those three days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur dominate the annual calendar.  Admission to their services provides leverage to collect annual synagogue dues which pay the salaries and keep the utilities going through the next year.  Crowds attend, far in excess of what will populate those buildings any other time of the year, excepting perhaps the funeral of a VIP.  People at the end of summer vacation hit the beach outlets for a discount in appearing stylish when they will mingle with the others who display their prosperity.  But in exchange, they also seem to display their best manners.

In my student days, the Holy Days brought reconnection with friends not seen that summer.  They come too early in the academic calendar to be concerned about exams.  So the conversation goes to what courses are you taking and how did your summer go?  Football openers usually take place in proximity to these Festivals.  In the northern climates, summer clothing goes into storage, long pants, closed shoes with socks, and shirts with long sleeves appear, though the logo sweatshirts will need to wait another month.

Atonement?  For some.  Reset and renewal? For most.  Herding people back into community after some summer scatter?  Usually. 

Other than my teen and college years when I reassembled with friends, those Holy Days registered as less an annual high point than synagogue hype tried to promote.  I learned of shabbos pre-teen.  That focuses my mental Jewish calendar, also a demarcation point but more frequent.  Fewer throngs but synagogue populated more by people who really want to be there.  How did you enjoy yourself this summer gives way to what did you work on that brought you satisfaction, or sometimes might I offer some empathy to your frustration.  There are annual cycles determined by astronomy but also weekly cycles determined by people that have no natural set points. 

In this mindset, the Holy Days are sure to disappoint.  Perhaps even when the highlight of the year, they are designed to disappoint.  Perhaps that's why nearly everyone at the places that showcase them keep a low profile external to their congregation until it's time to ante up for dues next year.  That annual large gathering with pageant makes for kehillah, or sometimes the illusion of kehillah.  Shofar inspires.  Fasting generates commitment or resolve.  People really do return to their studies or to their professions with renewed diligence.  But it seems the weekly cycles of shabbos sustain this more effectively than the synagogue spectacles of the Holy Days which only appear annually.  

I'm still a shabbos person.