The Head of the New Year
September 16, 2012 
Again - we begin.
We drop our heads. We bow deeply. We bring our palms together at our heart's center. We sing. We chant. We sway. We pray. We let go of the old and make space for the new.
Today - is Rosh Hashana... the 'head' and beginning of another Jewish new year. Today - we begin anew.
It is on this day - it is said - that we are inscribed into the book of life. That our fate is written. And - it is in these next ten Holy Days that we are given the opportunity to reflect and repent and right ourselves before that fate is sealed.
We gather as a community. We light candles. We break bread. We eat apples dipped in honey to invite and welcome in the continuation and sweetness of new life. We sound the shofar - a simple instrument crafted from a ram's horn - to wake up our souls and remind us that once and again we have been given another opportunity. Another chance to begin again.
And - I find myself wondering - what is different? From this? From that? From the other? What makes these rites and rituals and marked passages of time uniquely 'our' own?
I come up with no good and real answers.
In the end - we're all the same. We all breathe in..and we breathe out. We need water and food and light to sustain us. Our hearts beat. We cry. We bleed. We love. We lose. We live.
On this day - this first day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei - we stop what it is we're doing and take time to listen..and really hear. We listen to the voices of our ancestors and the stories they have passed on and through us. We listen to one another. And more important - we listen to ourselves.
We begin today in this present moment....this one that offers up possibility and hope. We begin with who we are - each of us as individuals. We begin - by looking inwards and knowing that we must be the change that the world so desperately needs to see.
We join hands. We join hearts. We reach for the sky. We sing. We chant. We sway. We pray. And in that collective energy of gathering - we honor and celebrate the gift of once and again - beginning anew.
To those who are celebrating..and to all of those who are not - best wishes for a sweet and healthy and peace-filled new year.
Shana Tovah!
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Cross-posted over at Vision and Verb - where a group of like-minded women from all over the world share their passion for photography and the written word.
Reader Comments (47)
Listening, yes!
Shana Tovah, Marcie!
Beautiful light and an amazing pose by the flapping bird.
Shana Tovah, Marcie!
Excellent image for this post....and Happy New Year to you, too!
Nice backlight.
Oh, this is just beautiful Marcie!!!
fantastic light and silhouette, that bird looks like showing the direction to the rest of the gang :)
This feels so different from the other New Year celebration we all know, Marcie. Somehow yours feels more...holy...and perhaps more appropriate before a national election. I stop to celebrate with you. I'd love to be a fly on the wall to watch it all. Better yet, I'd love to be there in person....
May love and light experienced at Shana Tovah be your guide into the New Year, Marcie.
Love the stunning photograph.
Gorgeous photo! Nature is my path to a force greater than myself. Nature reminds me to be present. Living in the moment . . . ah-h-h- . . .
what a powerful posture :)
Beautiful photo to depict this celebration. You are correct...if we are to change the world it must start with us and the only way it can start with us to follow in His footsteps.
Beautiful. May you have a beautiful new year.
perfect pose and perfect timing.
To me, the bird appears to be a conductor preparing to lead an orchestra in a stirring rendition of a classical piece while standing atop a reflecting pool. Caught in the moment of stillness and expectation which will be followed by the thunderous sound and movement of wild abandon.
This stunning image is a wonderful way to begin a new year.
Shana Tovah, Marcie! What beautiful writing, eloquently describing the ancient traditions and their meaning in the today - and their importance to our world today. Wishing you a year of beginnings. An amazingly powerful image.
excellent catch and colors
Beautiful shot, Marcie. Blessings for your New Year.
it looks like an orchestra's conductor.. :) very nice shot!
Eloquent post, Marcie! It summarizes our holiday so beautifully. I pray that we can be the change to heal the world. May you have a sweet year!
Beautiful post, Marcie!
Shana Tovah to you!
impeccable timing, marcie. love the golden hues too.
Pretty amazing... what a pose.
Beautiful light and colors. Looks like she is pointing the way.
Shana Tovah to you and yours!
Well, Marcie, for all of us who are not practicing this within your faith, perhaps we should practice it in our own ways. This is a most beautiful explanation of a what sounds a wonderful time of year.
Happy Rosh Hashanna! I'm always in awe of your writings on your Jewish beliefs. I went outside for a walk today through my neighborhood and loved seeing all the families dressed up and heading out to a celebration with their friends and family. When I returned home, the hallway of my apartment building was filled with various aromas from the caterer setting up for a neighbor's celebration. Just wonderful...
Happy New Year Marcie! What a lovely lovely image.
Happy New Year to those who celebrate it :-)
Happy Rosh Hashanna to you and to everyone who celebrates this time of year and the joy of new beginnings.
Your image to illustrate your post is wonderful, as usual.
"We join hands. We join hearts. We reach for the sky. " What more could we need? This is lovely, and I adore your image... Happy Rosh Hashanna!
Marcie, each time that I think you can't thrill me more with one of your gorgeous images, you do ... and you continue to teach me so many important things, too. I thank you for it all and wish you so much peace & happiness at this new beginning.
Beautiful post, Marcie.
Sending you blessings of peace and love....
Your rites and rituals are uniquely a witness to the rest of the world of His grace and love. Happy Rosh Hashanna!
the yellows of your image, the deep yellow in honey, and the idea of a mellow yellow time for reflection is a great way to warm up to and into beginning anew or continuing along life's timeline with a new openness, a deeper breath, and a glowing sense of hope.
gorgeous, marcie.
I love beginnings and endings
...so much hope and possibility:)
thanks for the gentle stir
and all the happiest and brightest
and bloomingest to you
and may all your days
be peace.
-Jennifer
A truly beautiful post. Thank you Marcie. It resonated with me very powerfully on a couple of levels. My father was a German Jew but, because of his experiences in World War 2, did not celebrate his religion in any way until he knew he was dying. The seond point which moved me, was the listening which is so intrinsic to this celebration of the New Year. Listening sounds easy, and is not. Not listening to others or even to ourselves.
The image was an incredible match. Thank you again.
Wonderful shot and sentiment! Happy New Year.
Thanks for this beautiful prayer to set the tone for my day!
A happy and healthy to you'all!!!
Truly stunning. I can see the davening goose leading his congregation! Love it. Larry said to tell you "that's some camera you've got!" (Like telling the hostess who made a wonderful meal "that's some stove you've got!") He went on to say you are incredibly talented!!
Love and Hag Samaich...may you be inscribed for another very good year!
"Your rites and rituals are uniquely a witness to the rest of the world of His grace and love. Happy Rosh Hashanna!" I could not say this any better than Mike did in his comment.
Absolutely stunning image to accompany this beautiful post.
"Capture the moment" said Henri Cartier-Bresson - I think this what he really meant. Magnificent!
Your descriptions of Rosh Hashana - how beautiful, Marcie. I wish this would be the way all of us celebrated the new year, a new beginning. It sounds so much more "whole" and healthy.
As always I love when you write about traditions and ceremonies. It takes me out of my life here, and into something that is amazing and beautiful.
Wow, do I love the photo! It's glorious and moving, as is your post.
I've got this new game I play with myself. When it hits noon or whatever time when I start to panic about all the things I'd planned to do that haven't been done, I pretend that it is really morning and that I've just woken up and I ask myself what do I most want to do. Somehow that trick stops the panic and I'm able to enjoy the rest of the day. Weird... but I think it's just a way to view each moment as a beginning.
Lovely and honest. I love both ritual and new beginnings. This post resonated with me.