Reflecting on those three days away from "the world"

Rosh Hashannah 5775
Have a healthy year
fruit head

The Jewish Calendar has some interesting quirks. One of them is the "three day yontiff/holiday" which is actually an oxymoron. It's actually a two day Holiday immediately followed by Shabbat. In Israel this only happens when Rosh Hashannah is a Thursday-Friday, but out of Israel when Succot, and Pesach begin and end with two day holidays, three day Holiday weekends are more common.

For those of us Jews strictly Torah observant we must learn how to be organized. We can't suddenly go shopping on days like Rosh Hashannah, Shavuot, first/last days of Succot and Passover in addition to Shabbat. On Shabbat we can't cook or boil water either. So today, when a neighbor suddenly decided that she wanted coffee and didn't have an urn of hot water, she came over, and I made her some.

Yesterday after synagogue services I was asked to have someone for a meal, and I had to refuse, since I had cooked just enough food for me and my husband. Especially since we both "watch our weights" and don't want to gain what we lost, I only serve/heat up exactly what we can eat.

Of the six main meals over the three days, two on each day of Rosh Hashannah and two more on Shabbat we had one meal at neighbors and two meals we hosted friends. The other meals we were alone, just the two of us.

Over Rosh Hashannah, I was amazed at how tired I was. I not only dozed off into deep sleep while reading, but I didn't wake up at my usual early time. On the second day of Rosh Hashannah, my husband woke me up, which almost never happens. Usually I'm up early, leisurely drink my morning water then coffee and end up the first woman in shul/synagogue. On the second day of 5775 I didn't even start my day with coffee!

I began to get very worried. Rosh Hashannah is traditionally thought of as a hint of what to expect the upcoming year. I didn't want to look forward to exhaustion. Thank G-d Shabbat was much better. I slept deeply, without any of the peculiar dreams which had been ruining my sleep or painful muscle cramps. And I woke up nice and early feeling energetic and alert. That's more the "me" I want to be this year.

G-d willing 5775 will be like the first Shabbat was and not like Rosh Hashannah.