From the Rabbi

Here we are, folks. The last Shabbat of the year. And what a year it's been! The late Queen Elizabeth referred to 1992 as an “annus horribilis” - a horrible year, because of the numerous family issues that she experienced that year. Unfortunately, we as Jews have the right to refer to this past year as a horrible one. What started in Israel on October 7th with the horrible killings and kidnappings, has become a terrible and seemingly endless war with hostages still in captivity and the Israeli people more divided than ever. Throughout the world, anti-Semitism continues rise in the halls of government, on the streets of cities and on college campuses. So what is there to say at this time, when it seems as if there are no words?

The Maharal of Prague (of Golem fame) once commented on a verse in this week’s Torah portion, Nitzavim-Vayelech, that when it comes to the Jewish people there is no “ordinary” or “in-between.” According to him, our history bears out that there is nothing ordinary about us. We have experienced extraordinary highs...the Exodus from Egypt, the Revelation at Sinai, the reestablishment of the state of Israel for example. We have also experienced the extreme nadir of suffering and persecution ... from the destruction of the temple, to the Exile, to the Crusades, to the expulsion from Spain, to the Holocaust. There is nothing ordinary in any of this. It seems that to be Jew is to be engaged in a never ending Extreme Sport!

This past year marked a low point in modern Jewish history.  We are all ready for the New Year to mark a high point for our people. Throughout the New Year season we eat honey to symbolize our hope for a sweet year. Why honey? Why not sugar or candy or Sweet and Low? Lots of answers, but a striking one tells us that honey from a bee is sweet, but that same bee also stings. Using honey on the High Holy Days reminds us that while we pray for sweetness in the coming year, we as Jews have to be prepared for the sting that can come at any time.

With all this in mind, let us seek the fulfillment of the prayer we recite every year: “Let the old year end with all its curses and let the new year begin with all its blessings.”

Shabbat shalom.