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Se The First Rosh Hashanah
S
By MARC GELLMAN
When Adam was placed in the
'
garden of Eden by God, he was
amazed at everything. The smell of
flowers made him dance. The sound
of the birds made him sing for joy.
But of all the things that amazed
Adam, the most amazing to him
was the sun. It warmed his face
without touching him, and it was the
only thing in the garden he could
not reach. When the wonderful sun
disappeared. behind the edge of the
garden, Adam was really scared! He
cried all night long, and he kept his
eye on the exact spot where the sun
had disappeared.
After a long while, he felt
something warm on his back. He
turned around and saw the sun
peeking over the other edge of the
garden. Adam was happy but
confused. .
Then God explained to him how
the time from one going down of
the sun to another going down of
the sun was one day; the time of
seven days, one week; the time of
four weeks, one month; and the
time of twelve months, one year.
Then God stopped telling Adam
about time.
Adam began to think. "God has
told me that this day will be
followed by six other days to make.
one week, ana that this week will
be followed by three others to make
one month, and that this month will
be followed by eleven others to
make one year; but, what time will
come after one year? Maybe ... no
time! Maybe the sun will go down
and never come up again?"
Adam was still amazed at
things, but now he was frightened
and worried. He counted the days
and the weeks and the months,
waiting for one year. He counted
and waited and worried.
L-6
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 1989
By the time the twelfth month
came around, Adam was fidgety
and nervous and could not sleep at
night. "A year is the biggest time!
When the year is used up all the
Adam decided to
remember the end of
each year by apologizing
to all the living things he
may have hurt during
that year He felt better
doing it, and he
remembered how scared
he had been during that
first year.
time will be used up. The sun will
go down and never come up. I will
have to live in the cold and dark
where I will not be able to see the
flowers or hear the birds, and I will
trip over things!" said Adam.
On the evening of the last day
of the week of the last month of the
year, Adam did not sleep a wink. He
went around the garden chewing his
fingernails and saying goodbye to
all the things in the garden. To each
living thing Adam said, "I won't see
you tomorrow. If I have hurt your
feelings this year I am sorry. I hope
you will forgive me. Then Adam
would kiss the thing and move on
around the garden.
After a while, just after Adam
had finished saying he was sorry to
some bug, he felt something warm
on his back. He whirled around and
saw the sun peeping up over the
edge of the garden again, just like
every day of the old year. Then
Adam heard God counting, "Ten
years are one decade. Ten decades
are one century. Ten centuries ..."
By this time Adam had fallen
asleep. He was amazed at the
bigness of time. Time was even
bigger than the sun. Adam decided
to remember the end of each year
by apologizing to all the living
things he might have hurt during
that year. He felt better doing it, and
he remembered how scared he had
been during that first year.
When Adam awakened the next
day, he smelled the flowers and
heard the birds singing.
Reprinted with permission of
the author.