ROSH HASHANAH EDITION 5778
SECTION D PAGE 20
Hillel Goldberg:
I pray for consolation and understanding after the death of my cherished mother, Miriam H. Goldberg, earlier this year. Psalm 6, recited in the morning prayers most weekdays, speaks of “my utterly confounded soul.” Never have those words spoken so viscerally and begged for relief so insistently.
As it does in countless other ways that never cease to intrude, the preparation of this page without my mother’s own New Year prayer this year never lets me forget.
Hurricanes. Nuclear North Korea. Iran in Syria, on Israel’s doorstep. Terror in Europe. Violence by and against Nazis in the US. From the microcosm to the macrocosm, my soul remains utterly confounded, begging for relief, for leadership, for Divine grace.
Alongside all this, not softening it but shining in their own light, are personal simchas for which the only possible gesture is gratitude.
Julie Greenberg Richman:
May this new year bring solace to those who fled from the winds and the rain. May G-d bless those who gave a dry bed, a warm shelter and a loving hand. May we rejuvenate those who sped into the storm, whose weary arms were a lifeline to strangers. G-d, please bring healing and comfort to all who swam in the rushing waters. Let us each bring love to the lonely, light into the darkness,and strength to all who are in our midst. And may we usher in a time of serenity and tranquility for our families, our nation, and for Israel.
Andrea Jacobs:
I write this on the 16th anniversary of 9/11, as Hurricane Irma spews destruction in Florida and barrels toward others states, and Houston stares down its long recovery.
It feels like we are disengaged from our comforting nexis.
In a world of chaos past and present, my prayer for 5778 is deceptively simple.
I pray that serene light protects our children; for teens to safely reach maturity; that adults face life’s inequities with stubborn grace; and for the elderly to rediscover a passionate temerity.
I do not ask G-d for this. The solution rests with us, and a little good fortune.
Anyada dulse i buena!
Gerald Mellman:
I’ve been with the IJN for so many years, I can’t count them. I have enjoyed every one. I have especially enjoyed the people as the IJN has always been a home away from home for me.
It’s been a pleasure for me at the age of 90 to continue my association with the IJN. It is a great feeling to enter the front door and see those I’ve known and respected for years. I hope I can continue my association with the IJN for as many years as I can count. I mostly hope I have contributed to the readers in some way.
I pray for a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Lori Aron:
While the world seems in many ways to be in tumult, I pray that Hashem will continue to bless and protect the state of Israel and the USA. I pray for peace, good health and prosperity for my family and friends.
Amy Hirshberg Lederman:
To my friends at the IJN: Thank you for all you do to inspire your community and our world. This Rosh Hashanah I offer this blessing to you:
May you be happy and peaceful,
May you be healthy and strong,
May you live with ease and well-being,
And may you be filled with loving-kindness.
Le-Shana Tova!
Larry Hankin:
Fifty years ago, the summer of 1967 — 5727 in the Hebrew calendar — was known as the “Summer of Love.” Hippies and hippy wannabes gathered in San Francisco to protest the Vietnam War while celebrating “peace, love and happiness.”
A half-century later, we look back on those days as kitschy, representing an outdated mindset. Were “peace, love and happiness” simply naive platitudes that worked well on protest placards and day glow posters? Or aren’t they the ideals that we pray for yearlong, and especially on Rosh Hashanah?
I think so. This year especially.
Add to that good health and a little prosperity, and my prayer is complete.
So even if we’re not wearing love beads and bell bottoms to shul this year, we can channel the summer of 5727 and concentrate on how we can work with G-d to achieve peace, love and happiness.
L’Shana Tova.
Tehilla Goldberg:
In the spirit of the recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I resonate from the Rosh Hashanah liturgy: “You remembered Noach with love when You brought the flood.”
This Rosh Hashanah we especially remember with love all those entering this holiday season with the perspective of Noah and the Ark. May the new year bring healing, recovery and rebuilding.
Carol Coen:
As always, I give thanks for my loving husband and family.
My prayers have been answered with my daughter and her family coming through Hurricane Irma in Tampa.
I pray that we all show kindness for each other even in the smallest way. A smile can touch someone who may be suffering and hurting and it costs nothing.
May everyone be blessed with good health, happiness, peace and much relief.
Jonathan Tobin:
On the eve of 5778, my prayers are for peace and security for my family, our country and the Jewish people.
I pray that Jews will have the wisdom to realize who their friends are in spite of religious differences and to face up to the reality that secular political imperatives are no excuse for making common cause with those who hate both the Jews and Israel.
I pray that we will have the wisdom to know that at a time when a rising tide of anti-Semitism is sweeping across the globe, disassociating yourself from the Jewish state is no defense against hate and that anti-Semites on the left are just as if not far more powerful and dangerous as those on the right.
I pray that those American Jews whose connection to Judaism is tenuous will find a way to rediscover the beauty and the greatness that is their Jewish heritage, and that it is more than just food and comedy.
I pray that Jews of every denomination will drop their triumphalism or their defeatism and work together to keep our communities alive.
I pray that our rabbis will keep their High Holiday sermons short and to the point, avoid partisanship and realize that bringing us together is far more important than venting their political opinions.
Shana Goldberg:
I think it’s amazing that every year, on Rosh Hashanah and especially Yom Kippur, if you walk into any synagogue anywhere in the world you will hear familiar prayers. There are differences, to be sure, for example between Ashkenazi and Sephardi; or, more contemporary, among religious denominations. But overall, the messages of repentance and forgiveness are universal. What an amazing bond not only across communities, but across the generations of the Jewish nation.
It’s a great reminder of how much we share, and I’m grateful for that commonality.
Another aspect of the High Holiday liturgy I find special is the opportunity it affords us to take stock. It’s not easy to self-reflect, to figure out what one is doing wrong — to oneself, to others — and how to right it. Most of us naturally avoid such exercises. The High Holidays force us to confront ourselves. And while it can be difficult, the holidays provide us with a framework for personal growth.
I like that duality: On the one hand, the prayers we share with our fellow Jews; on the other, our personal thoughts.
My prayer this year is that we remember what an honor it is to be part of our Jewish nation.
Copyright © 2017 by the Intermountain Jewish News
