Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Community

09/08/2026

Week 4: September 8th: Presence

Text: Deuteronomy 30:14

כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃

The thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.

Over these weeks of Elul, we have listened, sought, and begun the work of repair. As we prepare to enter the High Holidays, Torah reminds us that we do not need to have everything figured out. What we need is not somewhere far away. Some of the wisdom we are seeking is already karov, close to us, in our mouths and our hearts.

Questions:
What have you learned about yourself during this month? What feels closer or clearer than it did when Elul began? What are you still carrying questions about? What wisdom do you already hold within yourself? What do you want to trust as you enter the new year?

Activity:
Place a hand over your heart and take a few slow breaths. Think back over these weeks: what you heard, what you sought, and what you began to repair. Ask yourself: What do I know now?
Speak your answer aloud. Trust that you do not need to have all the answers or to be finished. The work will continue into the new year.
What you need is not far away. It is close to you. It is in your mouth. It is in your heart.

09/03/2026

Rosh Hashanah is almost here! 🍎🍯

In just over a week, we’ll come together to welcome 5787 with prayer, music, reflection, and community. We would love to have you join us as we begin the new year together.

Visit our website to learn more and register for High Holiday services.

https://www.shirhadashstl.info/highholidays

09/01/2026

Week 3: August 31st: Repair

Text: Likutei Moharan II 112:1, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

אִם אַתָּה מַאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְקַלְקֵל, תַּאֲמִין שֶׁיְּכוֹלִין לְתַקֵּן
If you believe it is possible to destroy, believe it is possible to repair.

Repair can feel overwhelming. We may know that something needs our attention but put it off because we don’t know where to begin, or because we imagine that repair has to happen all at once. Rebbe Nachman reminds us that repair is possible. During Elul, we are invited not to make everything whole at once, but to notice where repair is needed and consider where we might begin.

Questions:
Where are you seeking greater wholeness in your life? Is there something you have been meaning to repair but have continued to put off? What has been holding you back? What might one small step toward repair look like?

Activity:
Find one small thing in your home that you have been meaning to repair. Change the lightbulb, sew on the button, tighten the loose handle. As you repair it, consider: What kept me from doing this before? Where else in my life might one small act of repair make a difference?

08/24/2026

This Shabbat, Rabbi Shira will lead a discussion exploring the significance of water in Jewish ritual practice, from mikveh and ritual handwashing to Tashlich on Rosh Hashanah and more. As we prepare to enter the High Holiday season, we will also mark this transition together by changing our Torah mantels for the holidays.

See you there!

08/24/2026

Week 2: August 24th: Seeking

Text: Psalm 27:4

אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ

One thing I ask of the Eternal, this is what I seek…

Psalm 27 is traditionally recited throughout the month of Elul, accompanying us as we prepare for the High Holidays. Here, the psalmist narrows their attention to achat, one thing. In a season that can invite us to think about everything we want to change and change it all at once, perhaps we can start smaller.

Questions:
What has been taking up your attention lately? What might you notice if you quiet some of that noise? If you could ask one thing of yourself during this season, what would it be? What are you seeking as you prepare to enter a new year? How might paying attention to that one thing help you understand yourself more deeply?

Activity:
Choose one thing you are seeking during this season. It might be rest, connection, patience, joy, courage, forgiveness, beauty, or something entirely your own.
Carry that one thing with you this week and look for where it appears. Notice the moments when you encounter it or when you are searching for it.
At the end of the week, take a moment to reflect: What did you discover by paying attention to this one thing?

08/19/2026

The High Holidays are approaching, and we would love to welcome you to Shir Hadash. 🍎🍯

This year, our High Holiday theme is Hineni — הנני — Here I am.

Throughout Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, we’ll explore what it means to be present and to respond to the calls we hear in our lives and in our world.

If you’re looking for High Holidays filled with song, meaningful discussion, reflection, and warm community, we would love to have you join us.

More information here: https://www.shirhadashstl.info/highholidays

08/18/2026

Join us for our series "Elul Practices" where we explore something new each week leading up to the High Holidays!

Week 1: August 17th: Grounded

Text: Psalm 47:6

עָלָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים בִּתְרוּעָ֑ה יְ֝-הֹ-וָ֗-ה בְּק֣וֹל שׁוֹפָֽר׃
God ascends with a shout of joy;
the ETERNAL, to the sound of the Shofar.

With the beginning of Elul, the sound of the Shofar is calling us. Each day, its call reminds us that we have entered a new season and invites us to pause and pay attention. Before we begin the work of reflection and repair, Elul asks us first to listen, to notice where we are, and to ground ourselves in this moment.

Questions:
What do you notice when you hear the sound of the shofar? What helps you feel grounded when you are entering a time of change? Where or with whom do you feel most grounded? What do you want to carry with you as you begin this season of preparation? What might you need to set down in order to be fully present for it?

Activity:
Go somewhere that helps you feel grounded or at peace. It might be a favorite place, somewhere in nature, a familiar room, or anywhere you feel able to settle into yourself.
Take a few moments to simply be there. Play the shofar video included here, or imagine the call of the shofar filling the space around you. Listen for its sound, feel its vibrations, and notice what you experience in your body as the shofar calls us into this new season.
You might return to this practice each day this week, playing the shofar and taking a moment to ground yourself in Elul.

Feel free to share pictures of the place that makes you feel grounded!

https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=elul+shofar&&mid=853744076B5075A5F093853744076B5075A5F093&churl=https%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fchannel%2fUCUhjv2S4TW_7rm3ha-tlinQ&FORM=VRDGAR

08/14/2026

Chodesh Tov! As we enter the month of Elul, stay tuned for some Elul practices that we will be posting in preparation for the High Holidays!

This poem to mark the beginning of Elul comes from Ritualwell. However you enter this season — hopeful, uncertain, joyful or weary — you are welcome here. May this month hold space for reflection, renewal and connection.

What are you returning to this Elul?

08/12/2026

Join us this weekend for part 2 of our discussion of Jewish time. Why does the Hebrew calendar mark the same agricultural seasonal holidays as other traditions, both ancient and modern, and what new interpretations has Judaism brought to these holidays? See you there!

08/05/2026

Join us for services this weekend! We will pray together, read Torah, share in meaningful discussion, and just enjoy the power of Shabbat in community!

See you there!