Rosh Hashanah --Time for New Beginnings (September 2007)

We all know Rosh Hashanah to be the beginning of the New Year. But rather than thinking about it as the name for only two important days out of the calendar, Rosh Hashanah is really a concept that permeates every day of our lives.

The Hebrew Prayer Book tells us that G-d renews his work of creation each and every day of the year. So, for me, Rosh Hashanah is the ground for the very promise of renewal. As human beings who are under a lot of stress, day in and day out, we need to know that external pressures need not define who we are. G-d gave us enough inner strength to overcome tension in our lives by promising us that no matter how disillusioned we might become, a better day is around the corner.

The word shanah, (year) also has the meaning of shinuy (change). Thus Rosh Hashanah is also the beginning of change in our lives, where we look to better ourselves for the coming year. This determination to change, then, serves as a catalyst for looking for opportunities for growth in every day of our lives. There is no renewal without change and there is no change without renewal.

Our neshama, our soul, has at all times an inner and outer dimension. Our external environment provides us constant feedback. We judge whether information processed by our senses is for our benefit or not. But more importantly, these perceived benefits cannot stimulate growth unless they become internalized and serve as guide posts for continued expansion and renewal.

The prayer known as shehecheyanu, which accompanies the blessings we say over wine during this season, echoes the soul's yearning for enlightenment. It says that we have to first appreciate how far we have come in envisioning what it means to be alive today. Then we have to vekiamanu, determine how we are to take the next constructive steps to "establish" a plan for a better life. Finally, vehigianu, we have to reach a state of acceptance within our selves when we realize that our past can serve as a healthy catalyst for betterment in the future.

So, please make this Rosh Hashanah the first day of the beginning of the rest of your lives.

Wishing all my friends at Arden Heights Boulevard a gesunt and benched year in this 5768.

Other messages from Rabbi Stern