Preparing for the secular New Year is wildly different than preparing for the Jewish New Year — even down to the time of year!
Rosh Hashanah occurs when the summer months wane and give way to the crispness of autumn. We find some relief from the heat, and head into the new season with our souls renewed.
Secular New Year, on the other hand, comes at the darkest point of the year. The days get shorter and the nights grow darker, and it seems the slog of winter will never end.
Rosh Hashanah occurs when the summer months wane and give way to the crispness of autumn. We find some relief from the heat, and head into the new season with our souls renewed.
We prepare for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by making amends to those we have wronged. We perform teshuvah, the process by which we request and grant forgiveness, strengthening the community through accountability and care.
We engage in a cheshbon hanefesh, an account of the soul. We ensure that we feel ready for the coming year by checking in thoroughly with ourselves, by evaluating what we have done over the previous year. It is a thorough and appropriate process for the Holy Days.
The calendar creates an inevitable contrast
However, secular New Year is, again, quite different.
To prepare for the secular New Year, we must brave the frigid temperatures and the growing crowds of people. Even grocery shopping is more difficult at this time of year, as the throngs increase in the holiday season.
We prepare for this New Year by going out into the world and engaging with people when they are at their most anxious.
Americans, as a whole, feel much more stressed now than at any other time of the year.
We prepare for this New Year by going out into the world and engaging with people when they are at their most anxious. Perhaps I’m a pessimist, but this is not nearly so healing as our preparations for Rosh Hashanah.
Try a new perspective to counteract stress
So, how do we counteract this stress and strain as we prepare for and reflect on the secular New Year?
We can focus on time spent with our families, enjoying the company of our loved ones from the comfort of our homes.
We can reimagine our surroundings. Instead of viewing the line at the grocery store as an inconvenience and waste of time, we can see it as an opportunity to practice patience and to take a break from rushing from one errand to the next.
And, of course, in the spirit of the season, we can make resolutions.
Place those resolutions on hold
Resolutions can truly be made any time, and perhaps the right time is actually a few weeks after the New Year, when we’ve had opportunity to recover from the hectic holidays.
Often, we make resolutions based on what we are not. We don’t feel fit, so we make the resolution to be in the gym five days a week. We don’t feel smart, so we make the resolution to read so many books a month. We don’t feel engaged, so we make the resolution to read the news every day.
However, by framing our resolutions in this way, we are, unfortunately, cutting ourselves down right from the outset.
We’re starting from a negative point, rather than a positive one so different from our observations of Rosh Hashanah, where we value ourselves enough to make changes and do teshuvah.
Follow Golda Meir’s advice and trust yourself
Golda Meir once said, “trust yourself, create the kind of self you will be happy with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
May we carry this mindset with us as we create and recreate our secular New Year’s resolutions.
May we start this secular New Year with kindness for ourselves and for others, as we seek growth gently.
May we reimagine “I’m not fit” to be “I deserve energy.”
May we reimagine “I’m not smart” to be “I enjoy learning.”
May we reimagine “I’m not engaged” to be “I am seeking balance.”
May we start this secular New Year with kindness for ourselves and for others, as we seek growth gently.
Happy New Year!
Student Rabbi Rocki Schy will serve UHC Terre Haute during the 2022-23 academic year.