Rant #2,220: New Year's Day

Today is the first full day of Rosh Hashanah, which signifies the beginning of the most solemn period on the Jewish calendar, and which culminates with Yom Kippur next week.

Rosh Hashanah, which actually began at sundown yesterday and ends at sundown tomorrow, is a holiday that to me, highlights renewal, peace and hopefulness that the new year, 5779 on the Jewish calendar, will be a good one, and that we will do good during this new year.

How ironic that this year, Rosh Hashanah falls on the anniversary of 9-11, one of the great tragedies of modern times, when so many innocent people lost their lives for the misdeeds of a few.

With this coincidence in hand, we can look to better ourselves, and to remember all of those who were permanently harmed and perished due to this horrible act of cowardice.

Let's look back at the holiday by going back to Rant #91, dated September 18, 2009. Here it is in edited form:

"Tonight is the start of the holiest period during the year for Jews around the world. Rosh Hashanah commences this period, starting at sundown. This holiday continues for the next two days, and is followed by Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar.

Although I am not a religious Jew by any stretch of the imagination, I do participate in these holidays. They are holidays that ask Jews to examine their strengths, and weaknesses, during the past year and to reflect on how they can improve themselves during the upcoming year. They are holidays of both introspection and group prayer. During Yom Kippur, observant Jews fast, to show their forgiveness to God, and also to show their strength.

It is with this understanding of what the holiday means that I have always had this conundrum with how the rest of the world should look at these holidays. Should the “outside” world recognize this holy time of year or simply ignore it?

Living in New York, where there are a large amount of Jews, has made these holidays pretty well known by the non-Jewish population. In fact, schools are generally closed during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

I once found out years ago that the reason New York City schools close on these holidays is that since such a large portion of their teachers are Jewish, it was not prudent to open when three-quarters of the teachers would be out.

This year, there are the usual myriad controversies revolving around whether certain events should be held on these holidays or not.

Professional sports leagues will go about their business during these holidays. When my son was in Little League, the league would, every year, schedule games on the first two nights of Passover. Although Passover is not one of the holiest occasions on the Jewish calendar, it is a holiday which revolves around the family, and the traditional seder, and garners wide participation even among non-observant Jews.

The league, of course, never had a game on Easter Sunday.

My workplace does not give me off for the Jewish holidays, even though the owner, who is since deceased, was Jewish himself. I have to take the day(s) off as personal days.

Is this right? Shouldn’t everyone be given days off to celebrate their most holiest of holidays, whether it be Yom Kippur or Good Friday?

However, should business stop because a major religious holiday is being celebrated?

I don’t have an answer, and it is something that has puzzled me for years. These are religious holidays, and thus, they are more personal than say July 4 or Labor Day are.

The bottom line is this: do we suspend our usual day's activities because a major religion has one of its holiest days to celebrate?"

Years after I wrote this, I still have that question. We have been all inclusive now as a society, recognizing holidays that we didn't even know existed just a few years ago.

I think with the Jewish holidays, one must truly decided for himself how he will celebrate and honor these holidays, and to what extent.

I am working on Rosh Hashanah, almost out of necessity since we are a man down since the death of my colleague last week.

I don't think God will write me off for the new year because I am doing this ... I certainly hope not.

To my fellow Jews, have a wonderful new year.

Speak to you again tomorrow.