Notes from Cantor Avima

Have you noticed brighter skies in the morning? I walk my dog every morning and I can't help but notice an increase in bird chatter as well.The angle of the sun has changed as too.  And, I noticed on my calendar that in just a few weeks we change the clocks. It is still cold and crisp, I am still wearing winter coat, hat and gloves, but....  there is a feeling of transitioning into  spring.  I have to say that for much of my life I was so focused on being "there" that I didn't focus on the transitions. When it was finally warm - it was spring. When it was cold, it was winter. Suddenly trees would be bare or just as suddenly the leafy canopy returned. But, for some reason as I progress in years, I am noticing transitions around me more acutely. 

Every evening we say a prayer that addresses the transition of light to darkness.  God "rolls away the light from darkness and darkness from light. The verb "roll"  implies a gradual transition, like rolling a scroll and reading the progress of a story. These moments, hours or days of transition... of moving both towards one thing and away from another is the process of life. We mark a similar transition when we watch the phases of the moon. Spring will arrive on March 20 at 11:06 pm. But, that doesn't mean we should expect flowers to burst forth and the temperature to rise to 60 degrees at that moment. There will be a period of gradual transition prior to and after that date. Heck, back in the day, we would sometimes get snow past the official date of "spring". I remember a particularly heavy snow about 30 years ago on Purim day.   

Some would say that the story of Purim as told in Megillat Esther tells the story of transition from winter to spring, from darkness to light. Technically, Purim is a spring holiday as it coincides with the first full moon of spring, however, I see it as a transition holiday moving us from winter to spring. The theme of light is emphasized  in the megillah of Esther. The celebration of the first Purim is described לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אוֹרָ֖ה וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשָׂשֹׂ֖ן וִיקָֽר׃ ... "The Jews enjoyed light and gladness, happiness and honor." May we all notice the glimmers of light ahead and enjoy the transitional journey toward spring. You might enjoy this song as you move into spring:  Noam Katz Lay'hudim Hayta Ora