On October 6, during the Days of Awe, I was invited to attend a celebration of the Hindu festival of Durga Puja. As often happens, I was struck by the similarities and shared humanity of different faiths.
Durga Puja is a 10 day festival honoring the struggle, and eventual victory, of the goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. The struggle of good and evil. Just as we struggle with ourselves to purge our sins and relinquish the evil around us, many Hindus fast for the entire 10 days by subsisting on only fruit and water. Breaking the fast is a community meal. One of the practices of Durga Puja involves a bundle of nine different leaves called a navapatrika, similar to our lulav. Another similarity is the construction of pandals – temporary structures. although these are not for harvest but to call attention to a theme, in modern practice often a contemporary subject such as celebrating cinema or lamenting the marginalization of LBGT+ communities. Incidentally, Durga Puja takes place during Ashwin, the seventh month of the Hindu calendar.
On another subject, one of the risks of the TBH Presidency is not mentioning someone who deserves public appreciation. Often this happens due to my own forgetfulness, for which I apologize. Sometimes it happens because someone does something amazing totally under the radar. I was recently made aware that Maggie Jacobs spent many hours working directly with Cantor Shayndel Adler, working to blend our Temple Beth Hillel musical traditions with the gifts that a new cantor has to offer our congregation. The result of your collaborations were there for us all to see – I mean hear. Thanks to you both.
From the President October 17, 2019
October 17, 2019 by tbhrich •
On October 6, during the Days of Awe, I was invited to attend a celebration of the Hindu festival of Durga Puja. As often happens, I was struck by the similarities and shared humanity of different faiths.
Durga Puja is a 10 day festival honoring the struggle, and eventual victory, of the goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. The struggle of good and evil. Just as we struggle with ourselves to purge our sins and relinquish the evil around us, many Hindus fast for the entire 10 days by subsisting on only fruit and water. Breaking the fast is a community meal. One of the practices of Durga Puja involves a bundle of nine different leaves called a navapatrika, similar to our lulav. Another similarity is the construction of pandals – temporary structures. although these are not for harvest but to call attention to a theme, in modern practice often a contemporary subject such as celebrating cinema or lamenting the marginalization of LBGT+ communities. Incidentally, Durga Puja takes place during Ashwin, the seventh month of the Hindu calendar.
On another subject, one of the risks of the TBH Presidency is not mentioning someone who deserves public appreciation. Often this happens due to my own forgetfulness, for which I apologize. Sometimes it happens because someone does something amazing totally under the radar. I was recently made aware that Maggie Jacobs spent many hours working directly with Cantor Shayndel Adler, working to blend our Temple Beth Hillel musical traditions with the gifts that a new cantor has to offer our congregation. The result of your collaborations were there for us all to see – I mean hear. Thanks to you both.
We are what we do.
Neil Zarchin