A ROSH HASHANA MESSAGE FROM

RABBI HAIM OVADIA
 
Dear Friends, 
 
      Like Moshe Rabbenu, in the last chapters of Devarim, which are read around Rosh HaShana, we are standing on Har HaAvarim. Unlike Moshe Rabbenu, though, who was stranded on one side, one ‘ever’ of the mountain, and denied access to the Promised Land, we are granted permission to cross the threshold, to go to the other side of Har HaAvarim, and start a new year. How frustrating must have it been for Moshe, who had struggled all his life to bring the Israelites to the Promised Land and was now stopped at the last minute, the gates locked, his prayers rejected. Although HaShem was telling him that his mission was fulfilled, that here is no need to go further, he still wanted to be active, to make a difference to continue as long as he had the energy and the vision.  
 
      And what about us? As we stand on the peak of the mountain, the end of the year, we are able to look in both directions. Behind us lies the past, a landscape that despite being difficult, threatening or even appalling sometimes, still has the benefit of being known to us, but in the horizon our future awaits us, full of uncertainties, doubts and fear. Like a fog covering a dormant landscape, we don't know what will we find when the veil is lifted and it fills us with trepidation. Yet, this is exactly the purpose of Rosh HaShana. It is meant to help us stop for a second, regain our breath, evaluate our progress made during the previous year and calculate our moves for the next one. How will my past decisions affect my life this coming year? What should I do more that I haven’t done enough last year? In what ways do I have to change to avoid mistakes and to bring my potential to full fruition?  
 
      These are the questions that we ought to ask ourselves as we stand at the gate, at the entrance to the Promised Land. And if we undertake this questioning, and honestly commit ourselves to answer truthfully and fearlessly, then we will our destination with recognition that we have done all that is within our power to do.   So let us embark on that journey as prepared as we can possibly be, and there is no better preparation than to delve into the depths of our eternal Torah, from which springs the wisdom and clarity that have satiated the thirsts of a thousand generations and cultivated a nation, and the world, with solid moral and ethical values.
 
      We have concluded a year of wonderful growth at Magen David in terms of the active and growing participation of members and friends in Tefillot, Shiurim and many other excellent activities. We look forward to another wonderful year that will surpass the year we are not completing. May the coming year be a year of prosperity, health, harmony and spiritual growth for us and for all Am Yisrael. Amen. 
 
 
Rabbi Haim Ovadia
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