Rosh Hashanah invites us into our future
C onsidering how we occupy ourselves on Rosh Hashanah you might think that the holiday should be named “Taking Stock.” After all this is the time of year when we examine our behavior and beg for a lenient judgment. However the name “New Year” implies something very different — it suggests movement forward. Rosh Hashanah invites us into our future.
What Will Be?
Getting ready for the future does involve some taking stock. Where am I right now? What needs adjusting before my next step? What do I want that next step to be? Planning for the future involves having a vision operationalizing that vision with specific goals and then outlining strategies for accomplishing those goals. But plan as we might the future always remains a mystery. Not knowing what the new year will bring can sometimes trigger anxious feelings.
“I have so many feelings at this time of year. I feel guilty and inadequate because I haven’t improved enough. I feel overwhelmed because of everything that goes on over Yom Tov — so many meals to prepare so much chaos with the kids home so many relatives all at once. How am I going to manage? Then I feel worried: The kids are starting new grades my parents are getting older — will everyone be happy and healthy?”
Rosh Hashanah which marks the beginning of a new year highlights the concept of change and starting anew. Unfortunately change can be threatening and stressful for many people — even when it is clearly positive in nature:
