Rabbi Daniel Dorsch’s 2021 Rosh Hashanah Message

We all know the answer to the question asked of every Super Bowl MVP: “Now that you’ve won the Super Bowl, what are you going to do next?” (Disney World).

Having made it through the worst of the pandemic, the question posed about what opportunities we see in the new year might feel as if it warrants a similar answer. We’ve all once again been reminded that that life is short. Is now the time to travel somewhere exotic? Disney World, perhaps?

For me, the answer is decidedly different: “We are going to Winnipeg!” (Said with Super Bowl MVP enthusiasm). Here’s why:

You may not know that when the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, my wife moved to Atlanta (for the record, I think Atlanta won that trade). Part of the trade agreement was the requirement that we travel to Canada several times a year. In the first half of 2019, we had multiple trips to Canada planned and cancelled.

By the time we finally get there, it will have meant two years of missed opportunities for family connections: summers at the lake, services at the Winnipeg Beach shtiebel, and family moments for my children to have quality time with their cousins.

I’ve always been partial to the words of the great Israeli songwriter Arik Einstein, who remarked that “while there are some who climb mountains … never satisfied or having had enough, I love to be home with my tea with lemon … with the people whom I love.”

Some people will climb to the top of Splash Mountain this year. Alas, for us, Disney World can wait. Reconnecting with our family this year is our greatest opportunity. That’s why, after the holidays, we will be off to Canada to avoid missing another opportunity with the people we love.

Rabbi Daniel Dorsch is the rabbi of Congregation Etz Chaim.