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One of the best ways to celebrate Rosh Hashanah is by acknowledging God as Creator and showing gratitude for God’s creations. We are surrounded by all that God created, yet most likely take them for granted. A beautiful sunrise or sunset, the fragrant smells of nature, or being in the presence of a great scholar are just a few of the myriad wonders of our world, and to force us to recognize all that surrounds us, the Rabbis of old instituted the standard of reciting one hundred brachot every day. Their thinking was, by making this a regular part of our day, we would develop an “attitude of gratitude”. 

Rosh Hashanah for me provided many moments of gratitude. For the first time in many years, my entire family was with me. The joy of being with my wife, children and granddaughter are beyond measure. This was my 42nd year as a Hazzan, but if I go back to the first time I participated in High Holy Day services, it was as a ten-year-old boy soprano. Thus, this was my 60th year of participating in services in a significant way. I had been taught Shacharit (the morning service) as a fifteen-year-old, and have been leading it for the past few years. Reconnecting with the liturgy in such a personal way has been immensely gratifying, as I endeavor to take 2,000-year-old texts and make them meaningful to the modern worshipper. I am grateful for the education I received and for God’s inspiration to guide me in my recitation. While I can only hope that my sermons were meaningful to the congregation, I am grateful to God for guidance in navigating the complex nature of our world to find the right words to say. If they resonated with the listeners, I am grateful. My list could go on, but I offer the above not only to sincerely express my gratitude, but hopefully to model that all of us have the potential to express gratitude.

Gratitude takes us out of ourselves and has us admit that there is something greater than us, and that a sincere relationship with our God demands that we acknowledge our Creator and the thanks that are due to God. An “attitude of gratitude” teaches us that we cannot take for granted all the blessings in our lives, but rather be thankful for them. All that is ours is not merely because of whom we are, but flow from the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. And thus gratitude. Creation was not present only in the first chapter of the book of Genesis. It has continued every day since, as we are called upon to partner with God to make it so. 

Let us strive to celebrate Rosh Hashanah by expressing gratitude to God for all of our blessings, and growing the partnership with our Creator to make the world better, aka Tikkun Olam. May we all be privileged to do so in 5786.