My Favorite Moon

On Tuesday evening a full moon illuminated the evening sky. It my favorite moon of the year. It is the full moon of Tishrei. It is the moon that I see through my sukkah's skhakh (roof)--every year. It is there--year in and year out, without fail. The full moon of Elul, on the other hand, gets me nervous. It signifies that I have only two weeks until Rosh Hashanah, two weeks to prepare, two weeks to finish sermons. The full moon, one month later, means that the High Holidays are behind us. I have given my sermons. I have recounted my sins. I have repented. This moon is my favorite because it means that we can rejoice. We can celebrate. We can sit in our sukkot and and be thankful for all that we have. We can eat and sleep in our sukkot and peer into our homes and be reminded how fortunate is our lot. In the Jewish year even the moons can lift our emotions.