May you be inscribed (in the Book of Life) for a good year.
Those words are the translation of the Hebrew in the title. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and literally means “head of the year.”
Rabbi Benjamin Blech has an insightful article titled “Jews Don’t Say Happy New Year” on Rosh Hashanah. An excerpt quoting Kathleen Vohs, “Happy people get joy from receiving benefits from others while people leading meaningful lives get a lot of joy from giving to others.” In other words, meaning transcends the self while happiness is all about giving the self what it wants.”
Jews and gentiles alike the world over could use a little dose of selflessness to counteract our impulse for selfishness. May there be peace in this time of upheaval as the drumbeat of war works its way through capitals around the world.
