Tonight we will welcome in the new year 5785 in the Jewish calendar, and bid farewell to the year 5784 – a year that was remarkable in many, many ways, most of them not very welcome.
You probably don’t need me to remind you what happened when 5784 was less than a month old – let’s just say that in terms of 2023, it was October 7th. After that act of extreme violence, things just got worse for humans, whether it was climate change, war crimes, or any of the other things we are inflicting on ourselves and the planet. It has been hard to live, hard to witness, and for me, hard to write about, so my apologies for the irregularities in publishing this blog.
I found a Sephardic liturgical poem from the 13th century, by R. Abraham Hazan Girundi, which in some traditions is recited just as we begin Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish New Year. It has eight stanzas, mostly bemoaning how hard life is and asking Godd for help, and with the recurring refrain, Let the year and its curses conclude!
The final stanza, however, is one of hope and looking to a Messianic future – one in which all people will live together without oppression or injustice. Here it is in full:
Be strong and rejoice for the plunder is ended; place hope in the Rock and keep His covenant. You will ascend to Zion and He will say: Pave! Pave her paths. Let the year and its blessings begin!
May 5785 be a year of blessing and hope for all. Shana tova uMetuka (may your year be good and sweet).