Rosh Hashanah Reflections.pdf

9/17/23, 8:54 PM Rosh Hashanah Reflections | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/rosh-hashanah-reflections/ 1/7
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
Rosh Hashanah
Reflections
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Credit Photo: Ri_Ya via https://pixabay.com/photos/shana-tova-honey-sweet-jewish-4496748/
Rosh Hashanah is not only the Jewish New Year (celebratory), but it is also a
time of teshuva (deep reflection and repentance) for Jewish people around the
world. What have we done this past year and so far with our lives? Are we doing
good or are we, G-d forbid, off track? Where can we do better, and where are we
going in the future with the time we have left?
Stop The Van
Recently, I was behind a van that was heading into the garage. The van was tall
—too tall to fit the clearance of the garage ceiling. As the van heads down the
ramp into the garage, the driver is clearly not paying attention to where they are
going or the signs that have the height clearance for entrance. As it approaches
the entranceway, which is hanging down in front of the approaching van, the
car does not slow down. Watching from right behind, I can see that the top of
the van is about to come crashing into the overhang or even be sliced right off
(i.e., like driving off the proverbial cliff). Then all of a sudden, the driver seems
to awaken from their stupor, and about an inch or two before the deadly
collision, the van stops abruptly, and the driver jumps out to inspect the

overhang. I see the driver looking at it from this angle and then another angle,
sizing it up, and shaking their head. They got back in the van and now
proceeded to have to back all the way up the ramp and out of the driveway,
which then took considerable time and patience for them to navigate.
Wow, what a great analogy for Rosh Hashanah!
How often do we proceed down the road of life in our daily stupor, not paying
attention to the warning signs that are flashing red, telling us that we are off
track and are about to do something that will devastate our lives? But what do
we do? We ignore the signs—the signs of ego, materialism, and addiction; the
signs of living without gratitude for everything that we have and for G-d who
provides for us; the signs of making bad choices for today and not planning for
tomorrow. And others standing nearby may see us going astray and be yelling
from the sidelines to stop, reevaluate, and change course, but what do we do?
We just keep going, perhaps until it’s too late and the consequences of our
actions catch up to us. Then, with G-d’s help, we seem to miraculously get out
of our mind-numbing state of just driving along the road of life and
materialism, and we stop, get out, and hopefully see our situation for what it
really is.
Rosh Hashanah is the annual wake-up call for us to stop, get out of the car,
actually see what we are doing and where we are going, and course correct while
we still can in our lives. G-d gives us 60, 70, 80, maybe 90 years of chances to
take stock of: how we use our precious time in this world; our relationships with
our loved ones; and the thoughts, words, and deeds that we evoke for good or,
G-d forbid, otherwise. Rosh Hashanah is a blessing for us to back the car out of
danger and get us on the road to success if we but take the opportunity, which,
G-d willing, we will all do.
Making Consequential Life Choices

Interestingly, this last week, I was talking to someone with a very Jewish last
name who in the past wished me happy Jewish holidays, so this time, I took the
opportunity to wish them a happy Jewish New Year. But I didn’t get the smile
reaction or well wishes back as I expected. Instead, the person goes, “Huh, is
that this week?” For me, excited and looking forward to the High Holidays, I
smiled wide and, trying again, said, “Yes, enjoy the wonderful apple and honey
for a sweet New Year.” To this came the reply, “Oh, we used to make
hamantaschen!” Now, it was my turn to be like what, and I said, “Um, that’s for
Purim.” To which the lady responded, “Oh, can’t you tell, my husband is the
Jewish one?”
This brief encounter really hit me in the face, as I contemplated not only who I
am as a Jewish person but who we are becoming as a Jewish people. In
perspective, do all of us even know it’s the High Holidays? Do we find our way
with our families to synagogue, prayer, and repentance, or are we so far removed
that Rosh Hashanah is confused for Purim?
So the question is: Are we choosing G-d in our lives, or are we continuously
distancing ourselves from Him?
I remember learning as a teen in yeshiva regarding G-d’s revelation of the Torah
to us:
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Listen, it’s a choice: we can choose self or G-d. Some may think that we’re so
smart, good-looking, wealthy, and powerful that we don’t need G-d anymore,
and some even question if He exists. But many have been down this tortuous
road before, and eventually, as we all come to know, there is a day of reckoning
for us all, whether it is Rosh Hashanah and the inscription in G-d’s book for the
New Year or at the end of our days, when we go before our Maker for our final
judgment.
None of this is really new, especially looking at the recent history of the 18th
and 19th centuries, when we saw a wave of liberation and nationalism sweep
across Europe and America, from the French and American revolutions in the
west to the rise of socialism in the east. Along with this came the opportunity
for Jews to break the cycle of repression, discrimination, and persecution. Some
saw this erroneously as an opportunity to distance themselves physically from
Jewish communal life (e.g., the Pale and other communities) and spiritually
from Jewish tradition, secularizing and assimilating to try and be and live like
everyone else and hoping then to no longer suffer distinctly as Jews. However,
history has taught us repeatedly that the more we try to run from being Jews
and from G-d, like in the story of Jonah and the Whale (which we read on Yom
Kippur), the more we are pursued and brought back to our G-d-designated place
and mission in this world. Everyone from the Cossacks to the Nazis taught us
that!
Now, in modern times, thank G-d, we have been able to witness a distinct Jewish
spiritual revival for many along with the zeal of Zionism (Jewish nationalism)
that has brought us back from the dead bones of Auschwitz and returned our
people on wings of eagles to the Holy Land for the third Temple. Fortunately,
once again this Rosh Hashanah, we are given yet another chance to view our
How odd of G-d to choose the Jews! It’s not so odd because the Jews choose G-
d! ”
“

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
lives in perspective, reorient with the intent of the Almighty, make meaningful
changes, and, as a people, be a light unto nations.
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