Rabbi Skorka: Rosh Hashanah 5786

Source: rabbiskorka.com

Rosh Hashanah, whose literal translation from Hebrew is the "head" or "beginning" of a new year, is connected to b’reshit, "in the beginning," the first word in the Hebrew Bible that begins the story of Creation. Rosh and Reshit have the same Hebrew consonantal root (reish-alef-shin). This holiday celebrates the creation of the cosmos and of humankind within it. Furthermore, it is the moment when God judges each individual, all peoples, and all humanity.

According to the Jewish tradition, the verdict issued by the Heavenly Tribunal can be mitigated through prayer, contrition, and acts of charity (y.Taanit 2:1-65,b; Bereshit Rabbah (Vilna) 44:2). This means that through deep introspective reflection, which allows us to confront those personal habits that inhibit us from acting with justice, kindness, and mercy, we can change God’s judgment. Moreover, by acting with renewed resolve, we can start a new beginning for our lives.

As Naomi Shemer, one of the most significant poetic voices in Hebrew of the last century, says in her song, The Celebration Is Ending (1976): To wake up tomorrow morning with a new song in our hearts / to sing it with strength, to sing it with pain / to hear flutes in the free breeze / and to start from the beginning (mi-b´reshit). From the beginning / recreate your world in the morning. . .

The Jewish vision of humanity is that every individual, and every people, can recreate themselves by overcoming everything harmful to the physical and spiritual continuity of their existence. This is the profound message of the story of the prophet Jonah, which describes the outreach of divine mercy in helping the inhabitants of Nineveh turn to God, eliminating the iniquities and injustices committed by them, creating a new reality.

Examples of the urgent need for self-examination, both individually and collectively, abound in our world. Conflicts multiply, bringing death and devastation with them. Addictions of many types are on the rise because people are trying to escape to other realities because theirs is absolutely dark and without any hope of a different future. Many resort to fanaticism by failing to examine their own motivations. Leaders, especially, must constantly review whether they are deluding themselves into thinking that their own self-interests are paramount.

Technology overwhelms modern humans, frequently filling their minds with falsehoods and subtly manipulating their desires through the questionable use of psychological insights into human behavior. Artificial intelligence opens up endless possibilities for technological and scientific progress. But will those who use it be sufficiently self-aware to use it for constructive purposes or as a means to dominate and destroy?

The account of the creation of humanity in Genesis 1 begins with a strange utterance from God: "Let us make humans." There are all sorts of interpretations of this. The sages of the Midrash offered their own: God proposed the creation of human beings to the angels who serve God. God had already decided to create them, but wished to model that leaders should not impose their own wills but rather to consult with advisors. The Angel of Charity said: Let them be created, for they know how to act charitably. The Angel of Truth said: Let them not be created, for they are full of lies. The Angel of Justice said: Let them be created, for they know how to dispense justice. The Angel of Peace said: Let them not be created, for they are full of quarrels. God banished the Angel of Truth and created the human being. (Bereshit Rabbah, Parashat Bereshit 8:5, Vilna ed.) Perhaps this should be understood because of uncertainty about human behavior. Even for the omniscient God, human behavior is not an inevitability since human free will can change everything. (This question was masterfully analyzed by Maimonides in Hilchot Teshuvah, chapter 5, halakhah 5)

From this, it is clear that God took a risk at the moment of creating humankind, equipping them with capabilities that allow them to create weapons to destroy God’s creation or to complete and beautify it. In the Jewish tradition, every beginning of a new year is an opportunity to rethink the risk God took on when creating humankind, which is, at the same time, the central question of our existence.

May we all together find a response of true peace, understanding, and dialogue, for ourselves and for those to come.

May it be Shanah Tovah, a good year for all.

Abraham Skorka