Facing the New Year

When does the year begin?  The Talmud tells us that there are four New Year observances: the first of Nisan is the Rosh Hashanah for Kings and pilgrimage festivals. The first of Elul is the Rosh Hashanah for tithing cattle. The first of Tishrei is the Rosh Hashanah for the computation of years and the 15th of Shevat is the Rosh Hashanah for fruit trees. (Rosh Hashanah 1:1). One theory suggests that the Rosh Hashanah which is about to occur may have been rooted in an old Babylonian custom which took place about this time of the year to celebrate the bountiful harvest and in gratitude renewed obedience to the throne. The Jews, who were exiled there at that time, returned to Israel borrowing the custom but transformed the obedience to the throne into obedience to God, the true King. The Rabbis of the Mishnah concluded that the first of Tishrei (Rosh HaShanah) is when God again is crowned as King and when God again passes judgment on the world either by renewing life or sentencing death. The Rabbis decided that this judgment day was the head of the year and from there went on to establish the Jewish calendar.

As the seventh month, Tishrei also becomes the Sabbath of months with its concern for rest and renewal; as we read in the prayer book "and on the seventh day He ceased from work and refreshed (va'yinafash) Himself". So the motif of Rosh Hashanah is an annual spiritual renewal rather then merely a new year.

We commemorate renewal through the mitzvah of T'shuvah--repentance. We take an inventory of our behavior during the past year, determine what is inappropriate and vow to make changes for the New Year. We also celebrate Rosh Hashanah by hearing the blasts of the Shofar, the wake up call to repent. Guess what? It doesn’t work. The reason is that most unbefitting behaviors, we’re not aware of. ……..Let's take a little deeper look. The Hebrew root of T'shuvah means to turn or to return; it implies turning toward God. We have to rule out the notion of God as an old man in the sky looking down and judging our actions. To be a bit more sophisticated, turning toward God is turning inward; into consciousness—our sensations, emotions and thoughts. The deeper we go the closer to God we get. How do we attempt to do battle with the negative qualities of our personalities? The answer lies in attending to the three themes of the Rosh HaShanah  Mussaf service: Kingship—the recognition of God as King; Remembrance—exploring our consciousness to acquire self-knowledge; and the Shofar--the ram’s horn that connects us with awe inspiring events as at Sinai.

• Kingship: We have to decide for ourselves the source of the strength we will need to make the necessary changes in our lives. It’s not an easy task. There is always the great struggle between what the mind (the storehouse of past memories) dictates, and what the soul (the source of love and healing) requires. The Kingship motif helps us to realize what the Torah, in so many ways, conveys; that the “outstretched arm” of God is our source of overcoming every obstacle.
• Remembrance: The Torah, from its historical perspective, gives us the opportunity to actually look back, as far back as Sinai if necessary, and remember the pivotal moments in our lives. To the extent that we could recall those traumatic experiences, our lives will benefit, as such memories stir the soul to finding its rightful equilibrium.  We don’t need scientific studies to tell us how. “Remembrance”, a very spiritual practice, puts the broken pieces back where they belong. 
• Shofar: We cannot engage in that battle between the mind and the soul, unless we can advance against our enemy with the blasts of trumpets, as troops did in bygone days. The Shofar sounds the wake up call to action. Furthermore, we accepted God as our King, on Sinai, amidst the Shofar blasts ushering the covenant of holiness.

 From the Talmud Rosh HaShanah 3:8 we read "And it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed, and when he let down his hand Amalek prevailed." (Exodus 17:11). But could the hands of Moses encourage or hinder the battle? The verse means to teach that when ever the Israelites directed their thoughts on high and kept their hearts in subjection to their Father in heaven, they prevailed; otherwise they suffered defeat." 

Changing wrongful behavior is not simply a matter of choice. It takes deep introspection into the depths of ones personality—the acquisition of self-knowledge and the recognition of God as the true King and healer. The new year is typically the time that we make resolutions. What areas in your life do you think needs change? Should you be eating less fattening foods? How about choosing to start an exercise program? Or perhaps getting rid of excess stuff around the house? Such meritorious choices are fine for January first, but on Rosh HaShanah Jews resolve to do T'shuvah. Then, and only then, will the New Years eve resolutions fall into place.
Le-shanah tovah tikatevu.  May you be inscribed for a good year.