I send my best wishes to the Jewish people on the occasion of the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.
Rosh Hashanah in many ways exemplifies the inevitable complexity of life, which as humans we try to ignore or over-simplify at our peril. Its hoped-for sweetness mingles with humility and repentance. It acknowledges that a new start necessarily involves not only hope but also self-examination. This celebration of a New Year with its sense of anticipation also initiates the ten High Holy Days with their rigorous demands and penitential reflection. This is, in fact, a model of how communities may seek to renew themselves, of how they may draw on their ancient wisdom so that they may better face the new challenges of the future.
This 'birthday of the world' may also cause us all, whether Jewish or not, to reflect on our duty to care for the world, to nurture God's creation so that it leads to renewed life. At a time when the very nature of the world is threatened by environmental challenges of enormous magnitude, such a reminder is more than timely.
So may the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah sustain you, and may the self-examination of Rosh Hashanah strengthen you, throughout the coming year.
Rosh Hashanah in many ways exemplifies the inevitable complexity of life, which as humans we try to ignore or over-simplify at our peril. Its hoped-for sweetness mingles with humility and repentance. It acknowledges that a new start necessarily involves not only hope but also self-examination. This celebration of a New Year with its sense of anticipation also initiates the ten High Holy Days with their rigorous demands and penitential reflection. This is, in fact, a model of how communities may seek to renew themselves, of how they may draw on their ancient wisdom so that they may better face the new challenges of the future.
This 'birthday of the world' may also cause us all, whether Jewish or not, to reflect on our duty to care for the world, to nurture God's creation so that it leads to renewed life. At a time when the very nature of the world is threatened by environmental challenges of enormous magnitude, such a reminder is more than timely.
So may the sweetness of Rosh Hashanah sustain you, and may the self-examination of Rosh Hashanah strengthen you, throughout the coming year.
Tony Blair
