Rosh Hashana….Happy New Year 5771

L’Shana Tova, translated in English……for a good year

My hope for this new year is that people will recognize, in each other, their common humanity.

For me, the 10 days are an opportunity to simply reflect upon what I would like to do better. At dinner tonight, which by the way, my 8 year old son made (it was fabulous), we shared at least one personal flaw that we would like to change within ourselves. We listened to the horn of the Shofar on the internet, gotta love Google search, said our prayers, and then for desert, had apples dipped in honey.

Why the apples and honey you may ask? They symobolize the hope for a sweet year.

Why the blowing of Shofar (rams horn)? In a nutshell, the sound of the horn brings in the New Year and gets people workin’ on redemption and the end of the new year, Yom Kippur, it is blown again, to signal the end of the 10 days of Awe.

Rosh Hashanah is one of two High Holidays in the Jewish religion, the other being Yom Kippur, which occurs 10 days after Rosh Hashanah begins. These two holidays form the High Holiday period, arguably the most significant time in the Jewish year, as it marks the chance for repentance and forgiveness in the eyes of God. During the High Holidays, Jews cleanse their soul and get the chance to start fresh with an unburdened conscience and the intention of doing better in the coming year.

In this way, Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgement. One of the most prominent themes of the holiday revolves around the symbolic “Book of Life.” A Jew’s life depends on whether or not he or she makes the decision to make amends during the High Holiday period through the means of repentance (teshuvah), prayer (tfiloh), and charity (tzedakah). It is a key moment, a time to reflect on past mistakes and resolve in front of God to not repeat them in the coming year. It is also a celebration of man’s free will — making the conscious decision to look inside oneself, to look truly at one’s life and make amends. In exercising this choice, which was given to him by God, man makes himself worthy of God’s mercy.

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