A new year comes and it brings the promise of a fresh start. In Judaism, we mark new beginnings with fanfare and joy. Think of Consecration, which marks the beginning of a student’s Jewish learning. Think of a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, marking the beginning of young adulthood. Think of a wedding, which marks the start of a new journey for a couple. These Judaic moments are imbued with possibility and blessing. We like new beginnings. They offer hope and promise.
In fact, the Sages of the Talmud pointed to four different new year celebrations throughout the year. Each occasion was layered with meaning.
- Rosh Hashanah. This marked the start of a new calendar year. This is the one we likely know best. With shofar and Torah, music and liturgy, we pray for a happy and healthy year ahead.
- Tu B’Shevat. The New Year of the Trees is marked on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Shevat. It has us acknowledge the wonders of nature and our natural world. This date indicated the start of a new agricultural cycle in Israel.
- The 1st of the month of Nissan. As we approach Passover, we also experience a new year, according to the rabbis. This date heralds the start of Jewish history itself. Our liberation from Egypt allowed for Judaism to come to life for countless future generations.
- The 1st of Elul. This date was known as the beginning to the tithing cycle.
The idea is that we have historically known multiple new year celebrations. It only follows that we mark the secular new year with at least some fanfare as well. 2024 was such a difficult year for so many. We lost loved ones. We battled illness. We watched the news often from a place of horror. Israel is maligned in too many places to count, even if we balk at Israeli leadership once and again. War and strife touch peoples around the world. Antisemitism is real in our lives, even now, decades removed from Hitler and the Holocaust. It was a hard year, a long year. There was good, but there was also a lot of pain.
A prayer for 2025:
May it be a year of goodness and greater possibility.
May we be loved for who we are and love in abundance.
May the world grow softer, more gentle and filled with more kindness.
May it be a good year, a fulfilling year.
May the flowers bloom bright, the sun shed light, the birds take flight,
Reminding us once and again of the peacefulness that exists in the big blue world out there.
May we overcome trials large and small.
May we remember the courage within us.
May we dare to live with hope in our heart.
May we remember the ancient promise of our God to the Israelites,
The promise of a benevolent God to watch over us.
May we go together, always together, hand in hand. Amen.