Rabbi Wilfond Introduced in Andover Townsman
Rabbi David Wilfond was introduced to the local community in the Andover Townsman, where he also offered insights and remarks on the High Holy Days. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
The Jewish community will begin a 10-day holiday period starting with Rosh Hashanah on Wednesday and concluding with Yom Kippur. Wilfond said he’s ready to lead the congregation into the Jewish spiritual New Year.
It’s a time of looking inward and taking accountability to change for the better, to start the new year off without spiritual troubles. Wilfond said the holiday is about celebrating human potential to bring good into the world and recognize mankind is not perfect.
“We want to start the New Year as a time of renewal and cleansing and make it a new fresh year of hope,” Wilfond said. ”It’s about making amends with people and finding ways to fix problems.”
“It’s a time for looking back, looking forward, trying to figure out how we can go forward better,” he said. “And I would add most importantly, a time for sweetness.”
During this time, the Jewish community eats celebratory foods such as apples, honey and honey cake.
“The idea is real life is messy and has bitter moments,” Wilfond said. “But we don’t want to become bitter people. We want to be active in adding sweetness to the world by our good deeds.”
On Yom Kippur, Wilfond’s message will be about hope and not taking life for granted.