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The New Year Sermon
The Jewish New Year was approaching, when the souls of all living creatures delve into darkness awaiting rebirth. The Baal Shem gathered his disciples around him in anticipation of the Shofar’s call. While they sat around the age-old long table, the Master raised his eyes above the ring of lights. He told of his journey up into the autumn night’s starry skies when an angel grasped his hand and led him into the unknown. Far below, he caught sight of a figure staggering along the path leading around the year, approaching the end of the annual cycle, which is the same as its beginning. The figure's breast was transparent as of glass and the Baal Shem saw his heart, lit up in the dark. He looked up suddenly and saw the Master, who wanted to shout a warning but no words left the Baal Shem's tongue. The angel touched the Master’s lips and finally he could shout "Lift your wings, fly!" The figure got up slowly, raised his wings and continued on his way through the shadows of the night, which were transformed into the light of rebirth. Every year we return to the same point, we gather our strength and, rejuvenated, we begin our journey anew when the call of the Shofar sounds across the world.
"The light which withdraws on the night of Rosh Hashana until after the order of the blowing of the Shofar – when a new, more sublime light descends, so su6lime a light as has never shone yet since the beginning of the world." (Tanja, lgeret Hakodesh 14)
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