RABBI FRANKLIN W. MULLER Repentance and reflection at the new year

Today is Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashana literally means "head of the year," but this holy day is also known by three other names in Jewish tradition.
Rosh Hashana is called "The Day of Remembrance." Each Jew looks back upon the year just completed and reflects on the events that transpired in his or her life as well as in the world.
To recall and remember on the first day of this new year is inevitably to stand at the intersection of the emotions of fear and hope, to be painfully aware of all the bad things that might happen to ourselves, our families and to our world.
At the same time, we cling to the dreams of what a blessed future might hold for us. We read the daily headlines about war, terrorism and killing, but as we open a new calendar for the Jewish year, 5764, we once again hope that this will be the year when the human race finally gets it right and learns to live as God intended.
Sin and repentance
Rosh Hashana is also known as "The Day of Judgment."
Jewish tradition holds that during the 10-day period beginning with the new year and concluding on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, God judges the sincerity of our repentance and decides whether we merit having our names inscribed in the Book of Life for another year.
Whether one believes in this traditional theology or subscribes to the more liberal point of view, which involves the process of judging oneself, each Jew is involved in a sincere evaluation of his or her conduct, deeds and misdeeds over the past year.
Even though every day can be a chance for a new beginning, this holy season is an especially propitious time to take stock of the year that has passed and to think seriously about expectations for the year ahead.
Spiritually and ethically, it is a time for an accounting of the soul.
Sounding the shofar
Finally, Rosh Hashana is "The Day of the Sounding of the Shofar."
In every synagogue, the sounding of the shofar, or ram's horn, is one of the most important rituals of the day.
There are many explanations for this custom.
Some people feel that the shofar reminds us of the Sinai experience. At a time when Jews are closest to God, they say, this historical moment is relived through the shofar service.
The great Jewish philosopher Maimonides saw the sounding of the shofar as a call to repentance, an arousal from the moral slumber that each of us inevitably succumbs to during various times in the course of our lives.
The Talmud viewed the ritual as a means of confusing Satan so he would not harm the Jewish people during this time of judgment.
The most common explanation of the shofar in the Rosh Hashana service, however, derives from the account of the binding of Isaac in Genesis 22, which we read on the new year.
The sacrifice of Isaac was averted through the substitution of a ram for the boy. Although the key message is a statement against human sacrifice, the story also became the basis for blowing a ram's horn on Rosh Hashana.
Joy and solemnity
Rosh Hashana is a solemn yet joyous holiday. A ritual that emphasizes the latter aspect is the eating of apple slices dipped in honey, symbolic of the hope for a good and sweet year.
A heightened awareness of the blessings and richness of life, as well as its hardships and challenges, is what every Jew experiences who approaches the holy day with sincerity and contrition.
Repairing relationships, apologizing and forgiving, seeking closeness to God and trying to make the world a better, safer place are the signposts on the path to a fulfilling and meaningful holy day.
May this new year bring peace and healing to all people everywhere.
XRabbi Muller is with the Congregation Rodef Sholom.