What name will you make for yourself this year? After all, each of us carries multiple names. To some we are ‘mom’ or ‘dad’ perhaps. Perhaps we are ‘grandma,’ ‘grandpa,’ ‘saba,’ ‘nana.’ We are aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters. We have professional names and nicknames. We are known one way by our friends, another way by co-workers. Our names change as we grow older. Our names speak to the relationships we hold dear and the many facets of our existence over time. 

The poet, Zelda, reminds us that we each have many names in the end:  

Each of us has a name

given by God

and given by our parents

Each of us has a name

given by our stature and our smile

and given by what we wear

Each of us has a name

given by the mountains

and given by our walls

Each of us has a name

given by the stars

and given by our neighbors

Each of us has a name

given by our sins

and given by our longing

Each of us has a name

given by our enemies

and given by our love

Each of us has a name

given by our celebrations

and given by our work

Each of us has a name

given by the seasons

and given by our blindness

Each of us has a name

given by the sea

and given by

our death.

With 2024 before us, we wonder what name we might make for ourselves between now and next December? How will we use our name for the good? How will we use our name to honor those who came before us? How will we use our name to live out our faith and our values? Will we use our name to stand up for justice and equity? Will we use our name to set a good example? Will we remember when to speak up and when to listen? Will we use our name to advocate for an Israel not only of peace but right action? Will we use our name to try in our own way to enact lasting change?

The opening Torah portion of the Book of Exodus, Shemot, begins with a list of names, those who came down to Egypt in search of sustenance. They are our ancestors, the ones who set the Jewish story in motion so long ago. Their fate was far from certain. They hardly knew what awaited them in this new place. 

We feel the same way at the dawning of a new year. What will this year bring for us, for our family, our community? Who will we become? What will we witness, learn, experience? Given the pace of our world, what will be?

I pray that this year brings us blessing and health, happiness and love. I pray that we find meaning and contentment. I pray that we are moved by the enduring words of our people, the melodies we have turned to for generations, the stories that give us direction and hope. I pray that we remember to come back to our names, that inner most part of us, especially when we feel lost or afraid. I pray that we remember who we are, the strength within us, the courage in our DNA. I pray that we remember always that we are not alone, not now, not ever. I pray that you continue to believe in all of the good you have in you. 

May it be a good year for us and our loved ones.