Happy Rosh Hashanah: Sacredness & Accountability
Rosh Hashanah in Hebrew means the "head of the year" or the beginning of a new year. It is celebrated now as a new-year, and as usual, there are social events, great food, and possibly a few new affirmations or goals.
But that is not the original intent of the holiday, or how the holiday was meant to be celebrated.
In Leviticus 23:24, the holiday was centered around rest to reflect upon the sacredness of God. The priest was to blow the trumpets during the holy gathering to activate a feeling of awe, a place of communion with the Divine.
Rosh Hashanah was about Being holy as one communes with holiness.
And to do so, a nation must prepare their hearts and listen, and that, as we all know, takes time . It is not easy to quiet our minds and move into a place of rest, let alone remain there, and open our hearts for the Divine. Yet Rosh Hashanah was designed for people to do exactly that: on a specific time (7th month), for a full day, focus on holiness.
Rosh Hashanah has become a busy social event, as most holidays are, leaving very little time for that sacred silence where the Divine resides. The trumpet sound is experienced as a ritual rather than a sacred call to meet the Divine.
How then do we celebrate a holiday that may go against our beliefs in God, in the sacredness of the Divine?
By reflecting on our own accountability to the global community, to peace, to better relationships with the "Others". We celebrate not only as a new-year, but a call for inner sacredness and accountability.
Instead of eating the apple and dipping in honey to signify a sweet year to come, how about doing so for our own sweetness, kindness, compassion, and yes, holy love.
Every new year in every nation is a call for a new inner beginning, a renewal of our commitment to one another. An accountability to uphold every human being as important.
I wish you a wonderful Holy Day.
Yours as Always
Dohrea
