by Rabbinic Intern Shira Stutman

As I write this newsletter article, we at Kol Ami are in the middle of the High Holy Day cycle. And I can feel it. I can feel the charge that comes from a community—including its core members, their extended family, and other guests—coming together to celebrate as Jews.

It is on the High Holy Days that I can really understand how a study, conducted last year by the Medical School of the University of California in San Francisco , found that one of the factors leading to longevity is congregational affiliation. For, when we are part of a spiritual community—better yet, when we are an active part—we are committing ourselves to taking the time and energy to care for others. This caring work, this organizing, teaching or kiddush-making, forces us to journey outside of our own self-involvement, to see and support those around us. It gives us more of a purpose in life.

Being a part of a community means that we get to give, yes, but it also means that, when we need it, we must receive help, as well. Others will want to support us, and it is incumbent upon us to allow them to do so. (Per our stipulations, of course!) It’s our responsibility as a community member.

As a part of a congregation, then, as voluntary participants in a society that values human life and human dignity, it make sense that members would live longer, and perhaps even healthier, lives.

The evening of September 30 begins the Sukkot holiday, on which traditionally we build Sukkot, representative both of the huts farmers would build in the fields during the harvest and of the temporary shelters that the Israelites built as they wandered in the desert. This year, let us add another meaning to our building of these huts—as a symbol of community. Just as we gather together under the Sukkah to celebrate another year together, so too may we continue to gather as members and friends of Congregation Kol Ami—to provide sustenance to each other, and, ultimately, to our own selves.