It’s that time of year, as the leaves are about to fall off the trees, the temperatures are cooling down (at least in our hemisphere), the days are getting shorter, and the nights and sleeves get longer. Fall is coming, and with it, the end of the year. The Jewish calendar year that is. And inevitably, right after that, the beginning of the new year. And as one year comes to an end, and a new one begins, it is only natural to assess, to evaluate, to reflect, to enjoy the accomplishments, learn from the failures, prepare for the future.
Last year looked promising, it carried the signs of growth, of success. In some ways it was. In others it wasn’t. It is up to every single one of us to do his own individual accounting with themselves and come to a conclusion: did I have a good year? Or did I not.
As I said, reflection is individual, personal, and confidential. But according to Judaism, some tasks are to be done out in the open. According to Jewish tradition, the High Holidays: Rosh Hashana - The Holiday of the New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are days of reflection. They are also days of asking, receiving, and granting forgiveness. During those Holidays, people are to spend time in reflection and in prayer. But prayers, and fasting, and charity giving only cover the relationship between a person and his or her God. Forgiveness is asked, and given, by the Lord, for deeds who hurt nobody but the Lord himself. The Holidays do not cover wrongdoing done between people. To accomplish that, one must ask explicit forgiveness from the individuals they may have hurt. Knowingly or unknowingly. Intentionally or not. Forgiveness must be asked, and received.
I know I may have hurt some people last year. I know that it was never intentional, it was never malicious, it was never purposeful. Nonetheless, if in any way, shape or form, I have hurt your feelings, I sincerely apologize. While there’s no excuse for it, I never meant to. By the same token, I hereby grant forgiveness to anyone who hurt my feelings. My assumption is that it was never intentional or malicious. My assumption is that those who hurt me would like to be forgiven. Well, there you have it. No hard feelings. Moving on.
As fall comes, the leaves are falling off the trees, and the days gets shorter, one must remember, that new green leaves will grow again and the days will get longer in the spring. This year will be better than the last one. I wish you forget what the word “Doctor” means. I wish you greener leaves and longer days. Wider smiles and bigger hearts. I wish you tons of joy, and bunches of accomplishments. I wish you health, happiness and success.
I wish you a happy new year.
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