Deuteronomy 30:14

כִּֽי־קָר֥וֹב אֵלֶ֛יךָ הַדָּבָ֖ר מְאֹ֑ד בְּפִ֥יךָ וּבִֽלְבָבְךָ֖ לַעֲשֹׂתֽוֹ׃

The thing is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart, to observe it.

The mystic and Rabbi Levi Yitzchak, known as the Kedushat Levi,  asked the following question:  On Passover, during the singing of Dayenu, we state that it would have been enough had God brought us to Mount Sinai but given us the Torah. “Would this truly have been enough?” wonders the Kedushat Levi. If that happened, where would we have found Torah?

His answer: the profound spiritual power of standing at the foot of that mountain would have been enough for any Jew to discover the Torah that always exists in their heart. No revelation of the Torah was required because the awe-inspiring nature of the space, the time, and the community were enough  for them to discover the Torah hidden within their soul.

As we get ready for Rosh Hashanah, we hope for exactly this. The unique time and space of a synagogue on the High Holy days, being around community, hearing the ancient sounds of the shofar are meant to open up our hearts to find that spark of eternal light within each of us. May your new year begin with the rediscovery of your inner light, and may the feeling, the sounds, and the auspicious nature of these holy days open up our hearts in ways we can’t even imagine.