Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2024

Making a Commitment for the New Year

There is a heaviness to this year’s High Holiday celebration. With the one-year commemoration of Oct. 7 between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, it’s hard not to focus on the terror attacks a year ago, the ensuing war that while eradicating the evil of Hamas has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people in Gaza. The torture, murder and terror that the hostages have and continue to endure. Not to mention the struggles that the Jewish communities in North America and around the world have had to navigate at the hands of people who use hate, intimidation, and violence under the guise of supporting the Palestinian cause.

This year has been heavy. The High Holidays, with their expiation of sin and the renewal of our soul are often experienced as a lightening of our spiritual heaviness. So, what can we expect from this year’s High Holidays? I have a favorite lesson taught by Reb Mimi Feigelson. She would ask: Why does Yom Kippur follow Rosh Hashanah? If we are looking to enter the new year renewed and refreshed, shouldn’t we remove our sins (Yom Kippur) before we start the New Year (Rosh Hashanah)?

The High Holidays aren’t only a response to the year that has passed but a commitment to the year to come. Yom Kippur unburdens us not so we can go into the new year carefree. Rather, Yom Kippur commits us to the year to come, the path ahead, and the people we will journey with for the next 354 days (# of days in the Jewish calendar, non-leap year). This year, my friends, let us commit ourselves to our Jewish communities here, abroad, and in Israel. Let us walk together towards peace and justice. Let us commit ourselves to the safe return of the remaining hostages and the eradication of Hamas and other terror groups in the region for both the Israelis and the Palestinian people.

Laurence Rosenthal is a rabbi at Ahavath Achim Synagogue.