Rosh Hashanah 5787
To build a new path
In Jewish tradition, the beginning of each year is a moment of resilience, reconciliation with oneself, with one's fellow human beings, and with God. Rosh Hashanah presents the challenge of recreating oneself through a process of introspection in which mistakes and transgressions are acknowledged, and the necessary changes are made to avoid repeating them. This process is known in the Hebrew Bible and rabbinic literature by the term Teshuvah, which is usually translated as contrition.
To undergo this process, one must accept the belief that human beings possess free will; that within every person lies sufficient strength to choose among the possible courses of action presented by the circumstances they face in life, and likewise for the societies that men constitute (Maimonides, Hilchot Teshuvah 5:1-4).
Failing to engage in an introspection that encourages the acceptance and amendment of past errors leads to their repetition and to the continuity of the factors that caused them. In such cases, miseries are transmitted from one generation to the next.
In our current reality, the development of science and technology has provided humanity with the tools to transform the world into a pleasant place for a large part of mankind. Nevertheless, we see that historical conflicts persist. The vicious cycles from which it is very difficult to emerge without a sincere quest for change continue to plunge much of humanity into a life of misery and suffering.
In its opening chapter (1:3–10), Ecclesiastes portrays a cyclical reality in which nothing truly changes—neither in the natural world nor in human existence. What has been is what will be; consequently, all is "vanity." The underlying Biblical Hebrew term, hevel, is frequently translated as "vanity," but across prophetic and wisdom literature, it denotes something utterly devoid of substance or meaning (e.g., Isa 30:7; Jer 10:3, 15; Ps 39:12; Job 7:16). An unchangeable, repetitive existence inevitably leads to a void of purpose, stripping life of any ultimate objective. It is precisely this concept that Qoheleth (the Teacher in Ecclesiastes) recurrently invokes throughout the text (e.g., 1:2, 14; 2:1, 11, 15).
Psalm 8, however, complements this biblical view of humanity: on one hand, humans are fragile, minuscule creatures amidst the vastness of nature; on the other, they are "little lower than heavenly beings." Ultimately, it rests in human hands either to imbue life with meaning and transcendence or to experience it as inherently pointless.
One of the crises facing a part of humanity in the present situation—where problems preventing the creation of a better reality are neither overcome nor attempted to be overcome—is that of finding meaning in existence itself. Consequently, drug addiction has become a plague, and religions, much like political parties, have engendered fanatical movements. The capacity for dialogue among individuals and peoples has been dramatically reduced. Xenophobia permeates many cultures, and the prejudice and ignorance upon which it rests multiply in a world where hyper-communication is frequently used to spread lies and disinformation.
In today's world, an indiscriminate use of nature damages the environment, and investments are made in weapons instead of satisfying hunger. This paroxysm has reached such a point that threats of using atomic weapons, which were considered a thing of the past, have returned to the forefront in our days.
One of the commandments to be fulfilled on Rosh Hashanah is to emit certain sounds by blowing a ram's horn (shofar). According to a Talmudic interpretation (b. Rosh Hashanah 33b), these sounds must resemble a groan and a sorrowful weeping, and the purpose of sounding them is to awaken those who are lethargic, as Maimonides explains:
“Wake up you sleepy ones from your sleep and you who slumber, arise. Inspect your deeds, repent, remember your Creator. Those who forget the truth in the vanities of time and throughout the entire year, devote their energies to vanity and emptiness which will not benefit or save: Look to your souls. Improve your ways and your deeds and let every one of you abandon his evil path and thoughts.” (Maimonides, Hilchot Teshuvah 3:4)
From Isaiah 27:13 we know that the sound of a great shofar will be heard at the time of redemption, when everyone will gather to serve him with one consent (Zephaniah 3:9). This hope is repeated in the Rosh Hashanah prayers, with the firm hope that it will soon become a reality.
Abraham Skorka
Article published on September 11th, 2026, in the Italian edition of L'Osservatore Romano.
Comments