By Rabbi Levi Greenberg
Although it’s only almost October, a new year will soon begin on the Jewish calendar. On the evening of Wednesday, Oct. 2, Jews in El Paso and worldwide will start celebrating the two-day holiday of Rosh Hashanah (literally “Head of the Year”) by hearing the sounding of the Shofar (ram’s horn), reciting special prayers, and partaking in festive meals replete with symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey, pomegranates and more.
This past year did not turn out to be what we hoped and prayed it would be when it started last Rosh Hashanah. Twenty-two days into this past year, on Oct. 7, Israel was brutally attacked and the rest is history. The ramifications of the ongoing war are felt in every Jewish community on multiple levels and we hope and pray that the conclusion of this conflict brings with it real peace and security to the region.
I share the above sentiment not as a complaint about this past year or to be ungrateful. I have much to be thankful for, but the overall context of the year was markedly different from anything I have experienced in my lifetime. The intensity of the conflict in Israel and its impact on global public discourse on various issues has provided a unique opportunity for clarity and recalibration for many.
Throughout this past year, I was surprised to discover the reservoirs of moral courage, integrity, and compassion so many people have.
From within the Jewish community, I witnessed an unprecedented interest in connecting with Jewish tradition through more observance and learning.
From the general community, I was grateful to experience the outpouring of support immediately after the attack and the ongoing interest in our well-being as the year unfolded. All this reminds me of an important idea expressed in a story I once heard about the decorated Israeli General Yossi Ben Hanan.
In the summer of 1986, he decided to retire from the military and seek a career in the private sector. However, the then-Israel Defense Force Chief of Staff General Moshe Levy wanted him to stay on as the commander of the Armored Corps.
Yossi traveled to New York to seek the guidance of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and with his blessing, continued his military career for another 20 years.
During a 1988 meeting, the Rebbe urged General Ben Hanan to focus on achieving true deterrence against Israel’s enemies so there would be no need for war in the first place. When Yossi requested a blessing that G-d give him the strength to do so, the Rebbe responded: “Strength, you already have. But strength locked in a box – guarded so carefully that no one knows about it – defeats the entire purpose.”
The rule applies in every area of life. We have all been endowed by G-d with so much potential, but actualizing it and positively impacting the world with all our latent strengths is entirely up to us. When left unused, hidden away in the proverbial box, it defeats the entire purpose of potential.
In normal times and under calmer circumstances, there are always excuses for hiding all that goodness, but the intensity of this year’s circumstances forced it all out into the open. This year, I witnessed the revelation of so much hidden potential by so many and this trend could and should continue.
The same is true about the world in general. Notwithstanding the grim challenges facing humanity around the globe, we can trust that the power of goodness can and will overwhelm the forces of darkness and evil.
As Maimonides declared over 800 years ago, we must all view ourselves and the world as an equally balanced scale of good and bad. One single good deed that one individual does can tip the scales for the entire world to usher in an era of eternal peace and tranquility. Because in potential, the whole world is a divine garden of peace, and revealing it as such is up to us.
May this new year be filled with many more good deeds, revealing the hidden potential within all humanity, and may it be a good and sweet new year for all.
To learn more about the Jewish High Holidays please visit chabadelpaso.com/highholidays
Levi Greenberg is associate rabbi at Chabad Lubavitch of El Paso.
The post Opinion: This Rosh Hashanah, Jews face a changed world appeared first on El Paso Matters.
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