Hello dear friends,
I received this note on Oct. 1st from a much loved friend and Jewish teacher in Israel. I edited it a little, as Hebrew is his first language. Hopefully I have faithfully relayed his message to us all.
The new year will begin in just a few hours – ” ROSH HASANA “
5777 years have passed since the creation of the world, and we are excited about the new year.
We will celebrate the new year with hearts filled with joy, but also with reverence and fear. Rosh Hashana is the day of trial, for every individual and all of humanity. On this day, G-d decides who lives and who dies, who will be rich and who is poor, and how our next year will unfold.
On Rosh Hashanah we stand in prayer and in the center of prayer we listen to the SHOFAR thrilling to us all.
SHOFAR is a reminder to “improve”, we improve our actions. This is the main purpose of this day, we promise to improve; our behavior with G-d and to all people. To be a better husband to your wife, a better father to your children, a better family member and a better friend.
The SHOFAR is also a symbol of redemption, (The coming of Messiah) a symbol of fanfare, an end to the exile. It is a promise of moving from a narrow shape or “less than perfect world and changing to large, “a world of perfection”. We are reminded today of the promise of the L-rd to take us from the reality of difficulty into the width of salvation.
And it shall come to pass in that day, that a great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in the land of Assyria, and they that were dispersed in the land of Egypt; and they shall worship the L-RD in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. (isaiah 27/13)
I wish you Happy New Year, a year of happy, success, health, wealth….
In short (as we like to say) : SHANA TOVA
Yitshak (tsahi) Mamo