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What Does “Good” Mean to You?
What Does “Good” Mean to You?
I happily accepted the invitation to write a few words for the Rosh Hashana issue of Voice at the Shore. Then, I paused — there is so much to write about, how to choose?
Nearly every weekday of Elul, the month that leads up to Rosh Hashana, we blow shofar. For nine years now, on each of those days we emails an “Elul Blast! Inspiration from Shirat Hayam.”
Those inspirations are original writings by clergy and others, poems, pithy texts and brief teachings from various sources and the like. These “blasts” are like a digital shofar in that they remind us to care for our spiritual lives as we approach a new year.
On the day I started writing the Voice piece, this “Blast” went out:
These are indeed challenging times. Hmmm … didn’t we say that last year? And the year before that?
As in years past, we mean it because these times are now, they are ours, and it’s challenging to prepare for a new year that may not turn out any better than the previous one.
How do we prepare for the unknown? We reach back to traditions that can help us remain grounded through upheaval. We reach out in solidarity, in community, with those who share our concerns and values.
And when the time comes (5786 looms nigh!), we will wish one another “שָׁנָה טוֹבָה — shana tova / a good year!” with full heart, because we can — we must — help one another make it so.
“שָׁנָה טוֹבָה — a good year!” Today, we are so beset by concern for our greater Jewish community, it can feel awkward to wish one another an equivalent of “Happy New Year!” as in that basic Hebrew greeting — “שָׁנָה טוֹבָה / a good year!”
We may find deeper meaning in the more complete greeting of “לְשָׁנָה טוֹבָה תִּכָּתֵּבוּ / l’shana tova tikateivu / may you be inscribed for a good year!” Hopeful and with a plural “you,” this blessing may imply that, even though the words may be directed to one person, the sentiment embraces the entire Jewish world.
The religious heart may hear this greeting/blessing as reflecting the tradition of a divine Final Judgment that affects one’s personal life in the new year. Another view is that at this liminal moment we are encouraged to scrutinize our selves and commit to improving some aspect of our lives.
“לְשָׁנָה טוֹבָה תִּכָּתֵּבוּ / l’shana tova tikateivu / may you be inscribed for a good year!” invites deeper consideration. Visualize ten people in a room. For each person, “good” can mean something different: Success in business, better health, renewed relationships, more generosity, self-care…. What does it mean to you to be inscribed for a good year? How does each of us decide what is good, and how much good is enough?
Rosh Hashana should invite introspection, leading to the hope — the determination — to make meaningful change in our personal, communal and global lives. As the High Holy Day prayer book tells us, we are responsible for our own story.
Let’s make it worth writing about!
Wishing you
שָׁנָה טוֹבָה — shana tova / a good year!