With the approach of the new year of 5766, we would like to wish each and every one of you a כתיבה וחתימה טובה לשנה טובה ומתוקה. May you be favorably inscribed and sealed—for a good and sweet year. May this be a year of spiritual growth accompanied by ample health, financial resources, and nachas from your children.
The Rebbe once posed an interesting question: we were placed on this world to be productive. We are the ultimate alchemists; charged with the duty of transforming the lowliest dross – this mundane world – into priceless spiritual gold. Why, then, did G‑d create us with the natural need for eight hours of down-time each day? G‑d put us down here for a limited number of years; and approximately one third of that valuable time is spent dreaming rather than producing!
Kabbalah teaches us that eating, working, traveling, etc., all are vital components of our divine service. When done with the proper spiritual intentions, each of these pursuits contributes to the “spiritualization” of this world. But what can possibly be gained by slumbering away precious hours?
The answer the Rebbe offers is as simple as it is profound. It is very difficult for a person who is in the midst of having a bad day to make a complete turnabout. Human nature is such that if the morning went badly, the afternoon is likely to be worse. “Leave me alone; I’m having a bad day!” is a phrase all of us have heard, perhaps a bit too often… G‑d, therefore, decided to give us a fresh start every 24 hours. With a new day comes a fresh attitude and renewed energy. What happened yesterday is history; today we can start anew! This is why G‑d created natural time cycles—days, weeks, months and years—not an infinite time continuum.
Indeed every day is a fresh start, but occasionally the “fresh” starts become slightly stale; they too become part of our routine. Once a year, on Rosh Hashanah, with the dawn of the Jewish new year, we have the ability to dispose of all our emotional and spiritual baggage and dramatically change our lives for the better. A new year is much more impressive than a plain ol’ new day! Rosh Hashanah is a time for sincere reflection, a time to reexamine our priorities, strengths, and weaknesses, and resolve to live a more spiritually attuned life in the coming year.
Friends, this year brings with it the opening of our new Chabad Center – A Home for Every Jew! We urge each and every one of you to take part in our efforts for together we will certainly raise the level of Jewish awareness, tradition, and commitment. And remember, every spiritual upsurge must practically manifest itself in our daily routine. A new year means adding a new mitzvah to our repertoire.
Our behavior always elicits from Above a response in kind. This past year has been a difficult year, both for our country and in the Holy Land. May it be G‑d’s will to grant us a sweet new year—let bygones be bygones, after all, a new year, means a new start!
Sincerely,
Rabbi Raleigh Resnick