By RABBI MALCOLM MATITIANI
One of the many gifts that Judaism gives us is the annual opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start afresh. The Yamim Noraim give us as individuals and as a community the chance to atone for our mistakes and errors of judgment, and to begin to improve ourselves and our relationships to others and to the Divine.
This process of teshuvah is related to another powerful understanding of our role in the world. While it seems that much of our lives is preordained, Judaism empowers us to take control of our own destinies. This is beautifully illustrated in the Unataneh Tokef piyyut. The author of this central liturgical poem of the High Holy Day services posits, “On Rosh Hashanah their decree is inscribed, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, how many will pass away and how many will be created, who will live and who will die… who will be brought to a low state and who will be uplifted.” The congregation responds: “But repentance, and prayer and charity annul the evil decree”. By actively undertaking teshuvah, engaging in tefillah and performing acts of tzedakah, we are able to change God’s judgement.
This past year has been one of profound sadness and insecurity. The horrific pogrom of 7 October and the resultant war in Gaza has once more seen our beloved Israel under siege and facing an existential threat from the international community. The call to end Israel’s existence and the blaming of all Jews for Palestinian suffering has even infiltrated university campuses around the world, including college campuses in the USA and South African universities. As I write this there is a real possibility of a war with Iran and her allies. The increase in antisemitism around the world has led to many Jewish communities living in fear for their safety.
Although our past government took Israel to the International Court of Justice, the South African Jewish community is not as threatened as other communities around the world. While we are on high alert, we are generally free to live our Jewish lives, to observe Shabbat and the chaggim, and to celebrate our life cycle events.
The secular anniversary of the 7 October attack falls during the Aseret Yamei Teshuvah and of course Simchat Torah will be the Hebrew anniversary. Our celebrations of Torah will be marred by memories of the horrors of the Hamas attack on men, women and children and the nightmare of rape, torture, killing and kidnapping.
Yet not to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret-Simchat Torah would be giving our enemies a victory. May we take courage and get inspiration from our long history, a chronicle of survival against the odds. These High Holy Days are not only about atoning for our wrongdoings and bad judgments, but are also a time for thinking about our Jewish identity, an identity that we might have taken for granted in previous years. May you be stirred by the liturgy, music and sense of community during these Yamim Nora’im to be proud, compassionate, and knowledgeable Jews.
May 5785 be a year of Shalom, of peace and wholeness, both physically and spiritually. L’Shanah Tovah Tikateivu v’Teichateimu.
Temple Israel www.templeisrael.co.za
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