Happy New Year!

New Beginnings.

It's a special time of year when we get a fresh start. When we wipe the slate clean. We turn over a new leaf.

The big question is, how does that work? 

Can we just restart the system and expect it to erase the history of all the data that we downloaded over the course of the previous year? Is this some sort of magical shortcut, in which we chant some prayers, blow a horn, and beat our chest several times, and voila, good as new?

The key is that we are not actually looking to become something different than we were yesterday. That would require a monumental effort, exceeding even the lengthiest of Rosh Hashanah services.

Rather, on this day, we simply are who we always were. We bounce back to our original self, with all its good intentions. We reach into our core self and reveal our true self. 

When we come to Shul on Rosh Hashanah, It's like when you get together with a childhood friend, and the conversation flows right from where you left off. The purity and clarity of our youth manifest as it was before all of the accumulated jumble of files we collect.

The Shofar blast with its simple non-verbal call is our reminder to reach back into a place of simplicity, into our very essence. And with that factory reset, as a loving parent, Hashem says, that's the kid I always knew you were, and blesses us with a good and a sweet new year.  

Devorah and I wish you a good and a sweet new year and look forward to celebrating together with you!