Temple Shalom of Central Florida in Oxford prepares for the Jewish New Year 5785.

This includes celebrating our High Holy Days and other holidays commemorating the harvest and the beginning of the Torah reading cycle. This is the highlight of the year at Temple Shalom in Central Florida.

The events started last Saturday evening with a Selichot service with Jewish poems and prayers in the run-up to the High Holy Days. All Torah and tablecloths have been changed from their normal colorful blankets to white to symbolize purity and atonement and represent the wish that sins will be made white as snow through repentance.

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, begins Wednesday, October 2 at sunset.

Samantha Sherman, president of Temple Shalom and Village of Buttonwood resident, extends her best wishes to the entire Tri-County community. “As Rosh Hashanah approaches, this holiday offers each of us the opportunity to renew our personal hopes and ambitions for the coming year. It is a time for us to continue Selichot’s introspection and focus on new beginnings. Whatever intentions we have set on Saturday eveningwe now begin the process of making them a reality.

One of the most powerful elements of Rosh Hashanah is the call of the shofar (ram’s horn) that echoes through time and stirs something deep within us. The age-old blast reminds us of where we’ve been and where we hope to go. The sound of the shofar asks us to wake up, listen carefully and respond with purpose.

Rabbi Zev Sonnenstein will lead all High Holy Day services, accompanied by the Temple Shalom Choir. Rabbi is assisted by the Temple Ritual Committee, which plans all holiday services and events.

“On Rosh Hashanah we celebrate life and the possibility of new beginnings. We affirm the freedom and responsibility we have to live our lives with decency and morality. On Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, we focus on the mistakes we make when we fail to exercise our freedom with responsibility. We seek reconciliation and forgiveness for our mistakes, and we experience the fragility of life. We realize that we want to make a meaningful difference by the way we live our lives while we can and still do teshuvah. The word teshuvah contains the root shuv, which means to turn, return, reflect and learn how to be our best selves and our best as a community,” the rabbi said.

The full schedule and events are on the Temple’s website tscfl.org. Some events require tickets. Email questions to [email protected] or call 352-748-1800.