Shana Tova! My Rosh Hashanah Speech Blessings
September 9, 2018
Shana Tova! Rosh Hashanah is a time to take our life to the next level and set ourselves up for a great year. Below is the speech that I will be sharing with the students tonight at the Mega Rosh Hashanah Dinner on Alumni Lawn.
Wishing you and yours all the greatest blessings and successes!
Warmest regards and Shana Tova Umitukah!
Shlomo and Nechama
PS Here is the speech - enjoy :)
Question for you – Do you think people want to matter? To make a difference? Would YOU like to make a difference in this world?
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PPL want this so badly –to feel like they are living for something important -
A person needs a mission to make life exciting and even worthwhile
Because as fun as life is – it still is full of anxiety, drama, stress, broken expectations – pain of all sorts – and sometimes when life has none of that, the problem becomes that life is boring and meaningless and that’s even worse…
To make life worth living – we need a mission and a purpose.
So friends – Do you think you have a mission? Do we have a mission as human beings, as Jews? Do you have an individual mission as yourself?
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Here is a parable to shed some light
There was once a King and Queen who had children that they loved – but these children were too pampered in the protected walls of the Palace and couldn’t express their real strengths and character. So the Royal couple sent their children out of the palace – on a mission - to travel to a particular part of the country that was infamous for their bad character traits and rebelliousness. The goal of this mission – civilize this rough neighborhood, teach the people noble character traits and help them appreciate their king and Queen.
This mission was supposed to have a double impact
It would bring out their children’s deeper strengths and qualities – they would have to dig deep to act like Royalty amongst these people and not get dragged down.
They would influence the people - changing a “rough neighborhood” into a civilized place that would appreciate the King and Queen – and then the Royal couple would be able to visit this “once upon a time non-visit-able place” –and Ultimately form a bond with the people there.
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This simple parable and idea can drastically enhance your life
YOU are the royal child – sent by your wise and kind creator– into this world to accomplish a mission and make this world a more just and kind place – and also to help this world recognize the oneness of G-d. This is after all the call of the Jewish people –beginning with Abraham and continuing for thousands of years until this present moment.
The world can be a rough place and it often “laughs” at our more noble character traits– both our efforts to do good to our fellow human beings and our efforts to connect with G-d.
But this is not a mistake, the difficult parts of life are not just unfortunate situations that can only get you down – these rougher patches are actually the neighborhood that we are being sent to impact.
You - as a soul in a body – have been sent here to planet earth – to YOUR life and all of your highs and lows - to fulfill a mission.
You are the ambassador, the emissary of Hashem (G-d) to your LIFE and then to this WHOLE WORLD – in Hebrew this is called a Shliach – YOU ARE A SHLIACH – to lift up yourself and the world by doing what? By expressing goodness, justice, and the Shma Yisroel - the oneness of Hashem -
Some of you may be thinking - -
I’m a college student – I have friends – I go to classes – I like having a good time – I’m going to get a great job – are you saying that I should become a Rabbi or join some Community Service Organization?
NO, NO, NO – not at all – on the contrary – you should continue living YOUR life – (the healthy parts at least J)
The mission that you are sent to accomplish can only be done BY YOU – which means you need to live YOUR life. So have fun, go to class, get a great job – and always remember – that you have a mission – you are a Shliach – an Emissary of G-d to express goodness and justice – and the oneness of Hashem.
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But you ask – Shlomo, I’m interested in ME and I want to have more peace of mind, more certainty in my life, more success – how is this going to help?
Here is my answer –
Life throws you a lot of stuff that can knock you off balance – having the mindset that YOU are being sent on a mission from God to the situation on hand (to add kindness, justice, or Holiness to it) will give you the strength and clarity to show up to your own life with a new sense of purpose and strength and handle any situation in the best possible way.
So you ask – what must I do to start living like a College student Shliach?
Simple –
Do a Mitzvah and help someone else do a Mitzvah – Learn a little Torah and help someone else learn a little Torah.
Because by doing 1 more Mitzvah – and learning a little more Torah you will begin to appreciate what it means to be Jew - to be a child of Hashem – and by reaching beyond our comfort zone and helping someone else do the same – we begin to feel the joy of helping others – and thereby the joy of being on a mission from G-d – being a Shliach.
The greatest thing you can do this Rosh Hashanah is to resolve to take one more Jewish step – whatever that is for you: Shabbat Dinners, Charity, Tefillin, Torah study, lighting Shabbat candles, hanging a Mezuzah on your door – you name it – resolve to take one more Jewish step – AND to encourage a friend to take a step as well.
May you be blessed to think of yourself as a Shliach - to love your life and appreciate all your qualities and gifts – to feel your purpose and mission on earth – to grow into the person you want to be –and feel the joy of impacting the world and making a difference –and may you be blessed with a happy healthy sweet new year – Shana Tova!