Scripture: Jeremiah 31:33
“I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.”

Thought for the Day: Rosh Hashanah began at sundown last night. It celebrates God’s creation of everything out of nothing (ex nihilo). More than the start of a fiscal year, more than the start of an academic season, and even more than the start of a calendar year, Rosh Hashanah is a celebration for the glory of God, and of God’s work in creation. It is an opportunity for us to stop our busy lives for a day (or two in some traditions), and focus on thanking and honoring God.

Rosh Hashanah is also considered the “day of judgment,” in which God inscribes the fate of the righteous, the not-so-righteous, and the downright wicked in one of three books. The righteous are immediately sealed in the book of life. The intermediate are given ten days to atone for and reflect upon their transgressions (this leads up to Yom Kippur), and the wicked—well, the Talmud says “the wicked are blotted out of the book of the living forever.”

Of course, like all holy texts, the meaning is not literal, but found in the metaphor. Rosh Hashanah is a call to all people of faith to stop and take a moment to account for how they’ve spent their lives over the past year. Have we acted in accord with the Commandments? Have we honored God in our actions? Do we live in peace with our brothers and sisters of all races and religions?

On this holy day, may we all take a moment to reflect on our relationship with God, and give thanks to God for this amazing creation that we all share, truly one world family.

Prayer: Le’shana Tova Tikoteiv Vetichoteim, Le’Alter LeChaim Tovim U’Leshalom. May you (immediately) be inscribed and sealed for a Good Year and for a Good and Peaceful Life. Amen.