Happy New Year

At sunset tonight a new year begins in the Jewish Calendar. The year is 5768.

Back when I taught grade school I became aware that a lot of Christians would bring up Chanukkah, the Jewish festival of rededication, also known as the festival of lights in December of the year. (As if studying about this relatively minor Jewish holiday made it all right to talk about and celebrate Christmas in the school. It wasn't but back then we weren't as advanced in sensitivity as we are now.)

A good friend of mine pointed out to me that it was not really a major holiday and if we were going to discuss Judaism we should not be doing it at Christmas time. So I changed. From then on I would greet the students with a "Happy New Year and I would tie it in with many cultural events and would even include a lesson on the calendar and how it is a man made way of keeping track of time and not soemthing which was etched in stone tablets by God.

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Days of Awe and Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for the Jew. Yom Kippur is the Day of Atonement (at-one-ment) and is the day set aside to atone for your sins of the past year. In theory a person is supposed to spent the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur making amends for all the things you have done during the past year which may have offended.

Judiasm 101 puts it this way:

One of the ongoing themes of the Days of Awe is the concept that G-d has "books" that he writes our names in, writing down who will live and who will die, who will have a good life and who will have a bad life, for the next year. These books are written in on Rosh Hashanah, but our actions during the Days of Awe can alter G-d's decree. The actions that change the decree are "teshuvah, tefilah and tzedakah," repentance, prayer, good deeds (usually, charity). These "books" are sealed on Yom Kippur. This concept of writing in books is the source of the common greeting during this time is "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

Among the customs of this time, it is common to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged during the course of the year. The Talmud maintains that Yom Kippur atones only for sins between man and G-d. To atone for sins against another person, you must first seek reconciliation with that person, righting the wrongs you committed against them if possible.

I love the little I know about the Jewish religion. It is family centered and constantly reminds its adherents that they are God's Children. The concept of the Sabbath is a beautiful concept and is the heart and soul of Judaism.

This religion is worthy of our honor and our study. We should be as familiar with it as we are our own (whatever it may be) for it is the root of both Christianity and Islam.

And so I say: "L'shanah tovah tikatev v'taihatem" (or to women, "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi"), - "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

And also, (while it really isn't the same thing) Happy New Year.

Be Loved, Make amends and Hugs, jcs