Voice of the Jewish News: Food for thought

 This time of year is about ritual and routine. About family, challah, apple, honey, reflection, introspection and the clarion call of the shofar.

But in such topsy-turvy times, with talk of US presidential impeachment,  UK parliamentary prorogation and ominous rhetorical “othering”, more and more of us are seeing a different side to the High Holy Days – a more deeply reflective one.

We’re not just thinking about the year that has passed and the year to follow. We’re more inclined to mend relationship fences and to consider what and how to change at a fundamental level, rather than deciding simply to do something new. There has never been a better time.

The UK’s coming election looks set to be the most important in a generation, one fully capable of shredding the political landscape as we know it. Likewise, Israel also appears to be on the brink of a rare change in political leadership.

It’s apt that in the coming days we celebrate Succot, recalling our ancestors trek through the wilderness many millennia ago. A journey into the unknown, at the mercy of the elements, sheltered only by temporary dwellings as they wandered through the desert in search of the Promised Land.

This year the fragile succahs in which we will eat and sleep seem to symbolise not just the past but also the future. The months ahead are uncertain – a journey into the unknown, at the mercy of elements many fear we will be powerless to control.