Torah Covers That Go Wow: Changing the Torah Covers on Erev Rosh Hashanah

On Rosh Hashanah

It's time,

Among much else,

To change the covers on our Torahs from the everyday colors to white.

I google

Torah covers,

Hoping for some Jewish knowledge to inspire deep thoughts

And at the top of the list there is an ad,

An ad for a company that makes custom torah covers.

The headline for the ad reads,

Torah Covers That Go Wow!

Torah covers that go, "wow!"?

I'm impressed

And I start thinking about the other talking Torah covers I have known

And what they might have to say

Besides wow.

For instance, I once knew a Torah cover that said, Because You Are a Girl You're Not Allowed To Touch Me.

So I touched.  

I knew a Torah cover that said, Pick me up and Dance With Me!

I met that Torah cover at my first Simchat Torah.

And we danced.

I knew a Torah cover that said Take Me Off And Look Inside!

So I did and it was not boring.

I knew a Torah cover that said, Don't Worship Me, I'm Just A Book.

 I agreed, and then I kissed it with my tallit.

I knew a Torah cover that said, Doubt Is An Act Of Faith!

And so I asked questions, and then asked some more.

And these High Holyday white Torah covers, what do they say?

These cry out, Remember Me.

And I think of the loved one of blessed memory, who gave these covers to us.

I still miss her, and remember.

Last year the Torah covers spoke and said,

“Every small stain on white is visible, every blemish is there for the world to see”*

So that we may know ourselves, seek forgiveness and change.

And everywhere there is Rosh Hashana, what else do all the white covers say? 

They sing the song of the Shofar, the three notes,

According to Rabbi Arthur Waskow,

Tekiah, “Awake!”,  

Teruah ,”Open your heart!”,  

Shevarim, “Sob with all who suffer!”

All these noisy covers, going: Help Me, Touch Me, Go Away, Learn and Study, Ask and Listen, Worship, Fear, Dance, Forgive and Be Forgiven, Remember, Awaken, Open Up, Empathize, Resist...

All these voices

Kolot Torah, the voices of our torah covers,

Kolot Shofar,  the voices of the Shofar,

Kolot Chayeinu, the voices of our lives

As we join together

And go,

Wow.

Shana Tova

*Tabitha St. Bernard and Adam Jaffe, Changing The Torah Covers    http://kolotchayeinu.org/TorahCovers