Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, takes us on a spiritual journey of tradition, introspection, and hope. In the synagogue, a four-hour ceremony unfolds, where the resounding blasts of the shofar—a hollowed-out ram’s horn—are sounded at key moments throughout the service. These powerful blasts create a sacred atmosphere filled with reverence and devotion, inviting participants to reflect on the past year and set intentions for the year ahead. However, conveying the joy and depth of this celebration to those unfamiliar with it can be a challenge.
As we immerse ourselves in these ancient prayers, which have endured for millennia, we discover deeper insights into the human condition. Rosh Hashanah encourages us to pause, seek blessings for the year ahead, and recognize the struggles we all face in life. This dual focus on hope and reality resonates not just individually but within our community, reminding us that we share this journey together.
Facing Uncertainty with Reverence
In a world of uncertainty, Rosh Hashanah serves as a reminder of life’s fragility, encapsulated in the ancient prayers reverberating through the sanctuary—a sacred space for reflection and connection. One particular prayer captures this profound tension:
“On Rosh Hashanah, it is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur, it is sealed – how many shall pass away and how many shall be born, who shall live and who shall die, who in good time, and who by an untimely death, who by water and who by fire, who by sword and who by wild beast, who by famine and who by thirst, who by earthquake and who by plague, who by strangulation and who by lapidation, who shall have rest and who wander, who shall be at peace and who pursued, who shall be serene and who tormented, who shall become impoverished and who wealthy, who shall be debased, and who exalted.”¹
Even as a child, the message of this prayer is hard to ignore. It speaks to the inevitable uncertainties we all face. Yet, the concluding lines offer a glimmer of hope amidst the tension:
“תשובה, תפילה וצדקה מעבירין את רוע הגזרה”
(Teshuva, tefillah, u-tzedakah ma’avirin et ro’ah ha-gzera) — “Repentance, prayer, and acts of charity can avert the severity of the decree.”²
Only through teshuva (repentance or self-correction), tefillah (prayer), and tzedakah (deeds of justice and charity) can we hope to mitigate the severity of G-d’s decree.
Turning Inward with Purpose
Rosh Hashanah also calls us to introspection. In his book One God Clapping, Rabbi Lew describes teshuva as a turning inward, a purposeful realignment of our perceptions. This is echoed in the shofar’s call, which reminds us to reflect on our actions before the divine.
“The essential act of the High Holidays is teshuva, a turning toward mindfulness, and the first step in this process is a kind of tuning in to examine our perceptive mechanisms. When the shofar blows, it reminds us to turn our gaze inward, to shift our focus from the outside world to the window through which we view this world. Teshuva, at this time of the year, is the opportunity to assess privately our own behaviour before G-d. The expression is that at this time, especially ‘G-d is in the field,’ i.e. accessible to us human beings.”³
Even during the pandemic, we gathered for communal worship in Montreal, adapting to the circumstances by shortening the service, wearing masks, and maintaining distance. Despite these changes, the significance of the moment remained profound. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks beautifully captures this sentiment in his reflections, emphasizing how our traditions endure even in challenging times, providing us joy and guidance.
“The various questionnaires and research exercises that have been done recently on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on people’s lives came up with an unusual finding… People can’t plan for the future. They can’t know what tomorrow is going to bring… And that is undermining their sense of security.”⁴
Finding Strength in Uncertain Times
The pandemic has created widespread insecurity, casting a shadow of uncertainty over our daily lives. However, Rabbi Sacks reminds us of “bitachon,” the Jewish concept of intertwining faith with security, which has been a source of resilience for thousands of years. From Abraham’s journey into the unknown to our present-day struggles, faith has guided us through uncertainty.
“So, the question I simply want to ask these Yamim Noraim, on these Days of Awe, is, ‘How do we deal with insecurity?’ And the answer is contained, or at least the Jewish answer is contained, in that one word, ‘bitachon’ – the word that means security on the one hand and faith on the other.
How do you cope with insecurity? By faith. That has been the Jewish experience for almost 4,000 years. Judaism is about insecurity in a way, perhaps that no other religion is, and Jews have experienced insecurity in a way no other people have. The Jewish story begins with Abraham and Sarah just hearing a voice, calling them away from their family and their birthplace to a land that they did not know… They are traveling to an unknown destination; they are traveling blind.
As I’ve argued many times, in Judaism, faith is not certainty. Faith is the courage to live with uncertainty.”⁵
The Essence of Jewish Resilience
This is the essence of the Days of Awe. Rosh Hashanah reminds us of the cyclical nature of life, inviting us to explore our humanity’s depths and emerge renewed and resilient. Rabbi Sacks’ wisdom calls on us to navigate life’s uncertainties with faith, guiding us toward growth and spiritual connection.
Whether we gather in person or virtually, let us embrace these teachings with reverence and joy. May they usher in a year filled with health, prosperity, and blessings of peace.
Footnote:
- Unetaneh Tokef. Siddur: Prayer Book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Jewish Virtual Library, 2021, https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/unetaneh-tokef.
- “Teshuvah, Tefillah, Tzedakah.” Chabad.org, https://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/2301372/jewish/Teshuvah-Tefillah-Tzedakah.htm.
- Lew, Rabbi. One God Clapping: The Spiritual Path of a Zen Rabbi. Goodreads, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/308109.One_God_Clapping.
- Sacks, Jonathan. Morality: Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times. Basic Books, 2020. Google Books, https://books.google.com/books?id=pZnfDwAAQBAJ.
- Sacks, Jonathan. “The Days of Awe: A Jewish View of Faith and Insecurity.” The Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust, 2020, www.rabbisacks.org/the-days-of-awe-a-jewish-view-of-faith-and-insecurity/.