Congregation B’nai Israel of Freeport wishes for peace and reflection on Rosh Hashanah 5785

In Hebrew, the word for “Hello,” “Goodbye,” and “Peace” is “shalom.”

We ask for shalom on this New Year of 5785. On Rosh Hashanah, God finished creating the world, rested, and celebrated the creation.

Many symbols, such as a shofar and the ram’s horn, are blown to open up the Heavens and allow God to hear our voice as we cry out and repent for all our wrongdoings in the prior year. 

In addition, this has been a tough year for the Jewish community with all the antisemitism we have faced on college campuses and protests against Israel. The truth is we want peace for all our brothers and sisters. We do not want another Holocaust; we wish for Shalom.

I pray that God heeds our shofar call in the coming year and that Shalom can come to everyone worldwide. 

The first verse of Psalm 133 is usually sung. It talks about sitting in peace with our brothers and sisters one day. May that come to fruition.

How good and pleasant it is for brothers and sisters to sit together, 

hinei matov uma na’im shevet achim gam yachad

May everyone have a sweet and happy new year: L’shana Tova u’metkah, Congregation B’nai Israel of Freeport.