Reflections on Elul: I Feel the Need to Pray

Reflections on Elul: I Feel the Need to Pray

Kol Tikvah Co-President Tina Degann, 2025

This High Holiday season, I feel the need to pray. I need to hear the blast of the shofar, urging me to reflect on all that has happened in this past, crazy year. 

Personally, my family experienced health issues: I fractured my shoulder which is still healing, my husband was diagnosed with a double vision impairment, and our daughter is living with long COVID that has affected her stamina, cardiovascular system, and mental health.  More globally, there is the political quagmire of immigration, the economic forecast of a recession due to tariffs, the bloody Middle Eastern conflict where Israeli hostages are still held captive, the haunting faces of children starving in Sudan and Gaza, and the plight of Ukraine, all which bring me to tears.  So I feel the need to pray.

In these times of crisis, I am blessed that I can join with my Kol Tikvah Community and find comfort in our traditions. I hope that you feel the same. The High Holy Days are the perfect time for individual as well as communal prayer. As the month of Elul draws to a close, I look forward to experiencing the mystical service of Selichot with my family and friends. That night, we enter the darkened sanctuary and are transported as the voices of our choir surround and uplift us.  Rosh 

HaShanah soon follows, and as we taste the sweetness of the apples and honey, we are reminded that hope exists in this world. When the Cantor chants the mournful melody of Kol Nidre, we are embraced by shared tradition as we examine what our hearts hold.

Yes, this year I feel the need to pray and look forward to joining with you, my community.  May we experience peace and hope as we transition from Elul and welcome the New Year.