Rabbi David Geffen's Rosh Hashanah Message for 2024

I first knew Rosh Hashanah was our new year
When my father finished serving and we came here (Atlanta)
We feasted with my grandparents for Rosh Hashanah so sweet
It is a beautiful memory because it was such a treat

A few years later, on Washington Street, a rented apartment our home
My father took me on Rosh Hashanah to the “little shul” roam
All of the boys my age, by our fathers we sat in perfect style
But it was difficult, the Mahzor tough, so we were let out for awhile

All of my friends around can recall what we did
Once we were out – at times no return we hid
But I have had a different experience a rabbi I became
And as you can imagine, davening, sermons I had to live up to my name

Would like to tell you what Rosh Hashanah 80 years age meant
First of all for the older folks it was wonderful heaven sent
At Shearith Israel a chazan hired to chant the prayers so fine
That davening, the singing, the Yom Tov was like the finest wine

In 1965 when after my studies at Emory, Seminary a rabbi I became
First a Chaplain, then an assistant rabbi I had a new name
Because the senior rabbi left for a sabbatical for half a year
I was in charge and could handle from forward to rear

Rosh Hashanah, I realized, could be given a new spirit
and members old and young could be inspired to
come and truly feel the uniqueness of the tefillot
and what they contained. Leading up to Rosh Hashanah
classes for young and old developed how to add to the sweetness
of the apple and honey by focusing on what had made
last year so sweet and how to make new year good too. Since the aliyot
given to senior congregation members we changed the rules –
gave younger men and women those honors. We had fathers
and mothers take their children with them to open the ark.
Rosh Hashanah, I felt needed to be for every age in the congregation.
At times it worked at times not but I felt a door had been opened.

I also was a rabbi who helped to create a home service for blessing
the new year with all the special fruits eaten before the meal. I began a half century ago and wonderfully many of these ceremonies in thousands of
homes today. When I grew up in Atlanta only my grandfather, the
other rabbis and a few people went to Peachtree Creek for tashlich.
I realized the beauty of tashlich. In Wilson North Carolina, Statesville
North Carolina, Athens Ohio, Wilmington Delaware, Scranton
Pennsylvania, Fort Sill Oklahoma, we did tashlich in every way imaginable.

From my sighting from Israel, I can see how new Mahzorim Chabad, Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Reconstructionist have been developed. Special poems and prayers have been added, new translations in all languages make the Mahzor more meaningful and davening enlightening.

Clearly, there is Zoom – people all over the world can watch whatever Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur services in many different synagogues – shacharit in one, torah reading in another, listen to different people blowing the shofar and on and on and on.

Everybody have sweet, moving services. Pray for the hostages and hopefully the war will end. Leshana Tova Tikatevu

Rabbi David Geffen is a native Atlantan and Conservative rabbi who lives in Jerusalem.