L'shana tovah

Rosh Hashanah is a time to reflect on the year past and figure out changes to make for the year to come. It's supposed to provide a respite from the daily chaos of our lives, as is Shabbat, but in a way that encourages a longer look back and forward. Yet we focus on a year in each direction, and not much longer.

I have friends who I haven't seen in longer than a year, hobbies and interests I haven't pursued in longer than a year, travel plans that I know won't happen in the coming year, and goals for my business, my home, and my life that are much longer-term than a year. As I get older, the temporal frame through which I view my life (when I have time to reflect) naturally grows wider. Rosh Hashanah used to insist that I think longer-term than I wanted to, and now Rosh Hashanah insists that I think shorter-term than I want to. Both are useful. Time lived in the present is precious, and a broader view enables us to better create and improve our worlds and ourselves.

The rabbi last night asked us to consider, as we go through the service, how the service goes through us. Rosh Hashanah asks us to consider how we will go through the coming year in light of how the past year has gone through us. We should look to the past year not just to see how we did, but also how we were changed by it. Our intentions from the past Rosh Hashanah were based on who we were a year ago. As long as we continue to grow as people, our intentions must grow as well. The flip side is a consistent and shared liturgy to keep us steady, to remind us that the nature of the world continues on even as the details change, and to offer community to our personal struggles and hopes.

May the new year be sweet, filled with love and laughter.