By Rabbi Judith Beiner
Unlike the secular New Year which emphasizes forgetting the past and having fun, the Jewish New Year is a contemplative time for spiritual reflection. Beginning in the preceding month of Elul, we begin a period of introspection, looking back on our deeds of the past year. We ask ourselves: Where did I go wrong? To whom do I owe an apology? How can I do better in the coming year? Our celebration of the New Year is an annual opportunity for growth and transformation.
Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year” in Hebrew) begins at sunset on Wednesday, October 2. Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, the Yamim Noraim, which conclude with Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Home celebrations with festive meals feature sweet foods, such as apples and honey and honey cake, symbolizing a sweet New Year. Synagogue services include the sounding of the shofar (the ram’s horn) to announce the New Year and encourage us to repentance, prayer, Biblical readings and poetry special for the season.
One of the signature liturgical pieces read during this time is called Unetaneh Tokef (we shall ascribe holiness to this day). This prayer describes how we pass before the Holy One on the Day of Judgment, and what fate might befall us in the coming year: prosperity or poverty, fire, floods, earthquakes, peace and tranquility, etc. This section of the poem concludes with the words “repentance, prayer and charity temper the Divine decree.”
The words are intentionally unsettling, starkly reminding us of our mortality and of the many ways in which we have no control over our lives: natural or human disasters, illnesses, wars, human acts of cruelty, etc. In contrast, the words ‘repentance, prayer and charity’ indicate ways in which we do have control: over our deeds, our spiritual intentions and our relationship with Gd. While we may not have control over the quantity of our lives, we do have control over its quality.
As we live through this challenging time for the Jewish people, the U.S., and the world, it is easy to become consumed by worry, stress and grief. And yet, each of us has the power to improve ourselves and decide how we can engage in the world. We can act with kindness and compassion, volunteer in our communities, and participate fully in the civic life of our country.
May we be blessed in the coming year with the strength and fortitude needed to continue to repair and heal our world.
L’shana tova umetukah, A happy and sweet New Year.