During the Yamim Noraim we take stock of the year that has just passed.  We revisit our roots, we take the courage to face the adversities of life, upright like the trunk of a tree, we raise our arms and our faces to the sky, as if they were branches in the wind, and we look forward to a better year, one in which we can harvest the fruits of our labors.

    During the High Holidays, we are like trees.

    During these Yamim Noraim we would like to learn from the Tamar of the judge Deborah, from the Eshel of Abraham Avinu, from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from the tree of Gopher wood with which Noah built his ark, from the Kikaion of Jonah, from the bush of Moses which burned and did not turn to ashes, and from the Tree of Life.

    Today I want to speak to you about the tree of Gopher, the tree of rebirth.

    The Torah tell us that there was a period of time in history in which man inverted all of the basic norms of human coexistence.  Perversion, corruption, and confusion reigned.  Humanity had come to a point where it was impossible to live this way.

    How many times in our lives do we find ourselves on a dead end street, at the crosshairs of problem that is difficult to resolve.  We repeat incessantly the same errors that hurt us and at times hurt others.  These pointed distresses put an obstacle in the way of our growth and developmental potential.

    Inevitably there will be crisis in our lives, but fortunately these setbacks are not eternal.

    Noah, stimulated by G-d, looks for a light on the horizon.  The rest of his generation had their vision clouded, blinded to any hope or expectations.

    In the Talmud, specifically the tract Tamid, the question is asked:  “Who is wise”?  Some answer, “Haroe et hanolad”, the one that can see what is to be born.   Specifically, Noah, based on this definition could be said to have been wise, given that he could see that something new could be born.

    With the tree of Gopher, Noah builds a Teiba, an ark, in the midst of the destruction that surrounds him.

    The water of the flood that ensued allowed Noah to enter into a new dimension, perhaps metaphorically that of amniotic fluid.

    Noah, along with his family and the other species, in some way, return to a sort of gestation in their journey and are born to firm dry land, protected by the dove that announces the birth of a new beginning.

    These Iamim Noraim can be compared to that Teiba, the ark built by Noah, given that they, through their journey  and vision, allowed us to travel by way of a new amniotic fluid and gave us the opportunity for rebirth.

    Rebirth does not signify to be another, rather to find the pathway through the dead end streets that obstacle our lives.

    Noah teaches us that not only can we find new pathways in our life but also for society in general.  Noah opened a door so that all humanity does not drown eternally in chaos and desperation.

    Each one of us has trees of Gopher within us to build our own ark and choose a new direction for this New Year that is just beginning.

    I hope that  G-d guides and accompanies us on this new path we embark on this year.