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MVA
The New Year Brings
A New Opportunity
Best wishes for a
Happy & Healthy New Year
30555 Southfield Rd., Co.0'
Suite 100, Southfield,. fehitih
.
RABBI M. ROBERT SYME
Special to The Jewish News
hen I was a boy,
one of my Hebrew
teachers taught our
class that if you meet some-
one whom you have not seen
for a year, you are supposed
to recite the following bless-
ing: "Praised by Thou, Oh
Lord our God, 'M'chaya-yay
hah-may-teem,' who revives
the dead". It took me a long
time to realize the profound
wisdom of that observation. It
is meant to remind us, that
we are constantly changing.
Thus, if you encounter some-
one whom you have not seen
in a year, then that person
has changed and is not really
the same person that he was
a year ago. In other words, he
was reborn.
The Psalmist expressed
that very same thought when
he said: "Hakim-chah-daysh
b'too-voh, God renews every
day the work of creation, and
all its inhabitants." Isn't that
really the significance of
Rosh Hashanah? During
these ten days, we will eng-
age in Chesh-bohn Ha-nefesh,
spiritual inventory. We will
ask ourselves: "Wherein have
we failed during the past
year? Wherein have we gone
astray?"
Regardless of our faults, we
are not destined to remain
that way. That is the
uniqueness of the Jewish
religion!• Judaism teaches
that we are not born in sin.
We are taught: "The soul
which Thou hast given me,
came pure from Thee." Con-
sequently we are not doomed
to be sinners. Every Jewish
New Year represents a new
opportunity, an opportunity
to change, to improve, to be
ennobled.
Permit me to share an in-
cident that happened very re-
cently. A young couple,
members of our temple, came
to see me. It seems that dur-
ing the past year, they
attended several dinner par-
ties on Friday night. After
the last one, their fourteen
year old son confronted them
and said: "Why do you insist
that I attend religious school?
In our classes we are taught
that Friday night is Shabbat
— that it should be sacred,
that it should be different,
that it is a time for a Jewish
family to usher in the Sab-
bath and to attend religious
services. I don't see any evi-
dence of that in our home.
The candles are not lit. The
kiddush is not chanted. The
motzee is not recited. Why do
you force me to do what you
fail to practice? Why do you
continue to masquerade as
Jews?"
The young couple told me
how deeply shaken they were
W
M. Robert Syme is a rabbi at
Temple Israel.
by their son's accusations.
They wanted me to know
that this coming year would
be different. They wanted to
assure me that henceforth,
the Sabbath would be ob-
served in their home.
I thanked them for sharing
their experience with me. I
know that their son is fortu-
nate in having such parents
who were willing to admit
that they had failed as
Jewish parents, and were de-
termined not to abdicate
their role any further.
Imagine now, if each one
of us would decide to amend
some area of our lives, what
a transformation would take
place in our society! The in-
different husband would
bring back romance into his
marriage and assure his wife
of what an important contri-
bution she has made to his
life by her love. The busy,
grown son or daughter would
begin to find time for an aged
parent. These are just some
examples of what the new
year could mean.
Let me close with this
poem which best expresses
the significance that Rosh
Hashanah can have for each
one of us:
The young pupil came to the
teacher's desk with a quiv-
ering lip.
The lesson was done.
"Dear teacher, may I have a
new page?
I have spoiled this one."
The teacher took the old page,
torn and blotted,
and gave him a new one, all
unspotted,
and into his sad eyes she
smiled:
"Do better now my child."
I came to God's throne with a
trembling heart;
the year's work was done.
"Dear God, may I have a new
year?
I have spoiled this one."
God took the old year, torn
and blotted,
and gave me a new year, all
unspotted,
and into my grateful heart,
God smiled:
"Do better now, my child."
A new year, means a new
opportunity. Will we avail
ourselves of this chance?
645-9200,.
Call The Jewish News
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