PUTTING LIFE IN PERSPECTIVE

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are unique in the calender of Jewish observances. They are unique not because they are intrinsically more ‘holy” than the other holy days we celebrate, despite their modern American Jewish designation as the “High Holy Days.” Their distinction rests in the fact that they are the only holy days that are not linked to any event in Jewish history. While Rosh Hashanah may indeed be the anniversary of creation (or the anniversary of the creation of humanity), it does not figure in specific Jewish history that begins with Abraham.

By contrast, Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, the major festivals in the Jewish calendar, commemorate, respectively, the Exodus from Egypt, the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, and God’s protective care during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness following the Exodus. Purim and Hanukkah, the minor festivals in the Jewish calendar, remind us of failed attempts to destroy the Jewish people and the Jewish religion.

What then is the significance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Why do we celebrate them?

If this question had been asked of my maternal grandmother, she would have responded, in Yiddish, that their purpose was to ask God for a good year. She was, in fact, quoting from the liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur: Avinu Malkeynu, chadeysh aleynu shana tova (“Our Father, our King, grant us a good new year.”) Others, I’m sure, might respond that their purpose is to give us the opportunity to ask forgiveness for our sins, to wipe the slate clean. Again, the liturgy reflects this: Avinu Malkeynu, chatanu lifanecha... kotveynu b’sefer selicha um’chila (“Our father, our King, we have sinned before you... inscribe us in the book of forgiveness and reconciliation.”)

As our Sages described Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, they saw these days, as days of chesbon hanefesh, of moral or spiritual stock-taking, a kind of reckoning of the soul. What I think they meant was not only the confession of sin and the plea for forgiveness, but also putting life in proper perspective. So often in life we lose sight of what is important and focus our attention on what may be trivial and irrelevant. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur give us the opportunity to appreciate what we have and enjoy rather that bemoaning what we lack and might feel is missing in our lives.

All right, so none of us won the lottery this year. And who knows how many disappointments each of us may have had — hopes that were not fulfilled, goals that were not achieved, dreams that were not realized. And, truth to tell, some of us may have experienced ailing health, or God forbid, the loss of a loved one. The world we live in is not perfect, and bad things do happen to good people. And yet, surely in each of our lives there are blessings, but too often we simply take them for granted.

The greatest blessing is the love of family and friends: knowing that there are wonderful people who support us and love us and sustain us through even the most difficult of times. That’s what I mean by putting life in perspective. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur remind us that what really counts is not how much we have, but how much love surrounds us. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur teach us that the world may not be perfect and we may not be perfect, but we are God’s children. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur challenge us to change, to grow to reach more of our potential in the coming year. Whereas the other holy days touch our lives as part of the Jewish people, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur impact our lives on a more personal, intimate level. They speak to us about who we are, where we are going, our hopes, our dreams, our aspirations, our perspective. As such they offer us a great challenge and a great opportunity.