Rabbi Ronald Gerson: Finding the good in all part of Jewish New Year
This month, on Sept. 26, we Jews will observe our holy day of Rosh Hashanah, our New Year.
Unlike the secular New Year on Jan. 1 with the light-hearted celebrations (which we Jews do enjoy), Rosh Hashanah is a very serious holiday, indeed, our second holiest day of the year.
It is a time of deep, individual introspection. On this day, in the synagogue, we stand before God and are judged by Him.
We believe that for each of us, there is a Book of Life (Sefer HaChaim, in Hebrew), in heaven, in which all our deeds of the past year are recorded. On Rosh Hashanah, God looks at it, and judges us for the year ahead. And, we can avert a negative decree, with repentance.
With this process, comes the Jewish teaching that no human being is perfect. Even the Biblical patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph – had definite flaws. But, the teaching goes, if we harness the good in us, God sees this and we go forward into the New Year with His blessing.
We can all learn so much from this. Since we are created in God's image (Genesis1:26), we are to emulate Him as best we can. As God does, we should try to see the good in every person around us, even though that may be sometimes difficult. Yes, though sometimes hard to see, there is good in each human being.
With this, I think of two very good examples.
Of late, much has been in the news about the 45th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death last month. Some years ago, while in Memphis to perform a wedding, I took the opportunity to tour his home, Graceland. It made me think a lot about him, as I always enjoyed his earlier music.
Many focus on Elvis' faults in life, and there were many: womanizing, drugs, reckless living. But, on this tour of Graceland, I also saw the incredible good in the man, often overlooked.
He loved his mother intensely; there was nothing he would not do for her. And, also, he was a hugely charitable individual. At Graceland, I was in a room with a display of all the communal organizations he supported, including to my surprise, the Jewish community of Memphis.
Then, also, in the world of politics, I think of someone like Sen. Edward Kennedy (Teddy), who died in 2009. Here again, there was much in which to criticize: promiscuity, heavy drinking, and most notably, negligence in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick. But, with him too, in it all, there was great good. Because of all his legislative work on health care, we are all medically better off today.
Rosh Hashanah reminds us it is so easy to tear people down. But, as God does on this holiday, we can look for the good in them and this will make us much happier.
And with that, may I wish all, a very good, pleasant, and healthy Jewish New Year!
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Rosh Hashanah, when Jews are judged by God, is about finding the good
