Post Rosh Hashana - Is There a Plan For the Future?

Some of the following was part of my sermon on the first day of Rosh Hashana. Perhaps I'll post some of my "Shabbos Shuva Drasha" later.

Shabbos Shuva

by Rabbi Avi Billet

Though Rosh Hashana was Monday and Tuesday, it never hurts to look back on what we saw.

The Torah reading of the first day of Rosh Hashana begins at the point when Sarah is remembered. The Talmud tells us in several places that Sarah and Rachel and Chana were all remembered on Rosh Hashana. In the same breath, the Talmud tells us in Meseches Rosh Hashana that Yitzchak was born at Pesach time.

These dates, of course, are 6.5 months apart. So, barring any information coming to light that Yitzchak was born 3 months premature, we have a problem.

It is possible that he was a preemie. Moshe may have been 3 months premature as evidenced in how long his mother was able to hide him. But wouldn’t the Torah have told us if something were out of the ordinary (beyond that his parents were 100 and 90)?

It is also possible that Sarah only noticed her pregnancy at the end of trimester I because she hadn’t been menstruating anyway. Perhaps in this light she felt remembered at that specific time – on Rosh Hashana. And six months later, Yitzchak was born.

Is this really why we read this portion on Rosh Hashana? In all seriousness, there are other tales of Avraham’s and Sarah’s life which are so much more impressive.

I would suggest that for Avraham and Sarah, the birth of Yitzchak turned them into people with a new sense of purpose. They were now parents. They had so much more to live for than at any other time in their lives.

In Vayikra Rabba 29:12, we are told that on Rosh Hashana everyone is viewed as a new creature. New creations. With a new slate. Perhaps, with a new lease on life.

From Avraham’s and Sarah’s perspective, therefore, this reading is perfect for this day and this time period. Because what any individual has been through during the year no longer matters. What does matter is the current situation, in which a new book is being opened, and how do we see ourselves on that opening page?

Avraham and Sarah had been “old.” Now they were a young couple with a baby. She becomes like a tiger-mom, showing that no one will take advantage of her child.

There is one more piece to the puzzle that helps us understand the Rosh Hashana/new beginnings nature of this Torah portion. And that is the end of Bereshit 21, when Avimelekh appears to make a treaty. He says, “Swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my children, or with my grandchildren. Show to me and the land where you were an immigrant the same kindness that I have shown to you.”

Why would he think otherwise? Because his reality has also changed. Up until now, Avimelekh assumed that when Avraham died, his belongings would go to society. After all, if you have no heir, you can’t take it with you.

But now that Yitzchak has been born and Avraham has an apparent heir, Avimelekh’s destiny has changed as well. And so he realizes that a treaty is the only way he can secure the safety of his descendants.

And for us, the question is, where does our new reality lead us?

Are we adequately prepared for what is coming? Some changes are amazing! Some changes are devastating. Do we have a plan for the best, and for the worst?

In this coming year, many people will turn bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah. Do they know what kind of commitment and responsibility comes with coming of age?

Many people will get engaged and married. Do they know that the life to be lived after the wedding requires much more preparation and planning than does the wedding itself?

Many people will finish school. Do they know what they’re going to do with their degrees? How they’ll earn a living? Do they know that it is OK to pursue a trade (plumber, electrician) – as long as they’re doing something to earn a living?

Some people will get divorced. Is there a plan for how to make such a very difficult decision least difficult for everyone involved? If there are children, is there a plan for them? Has a pre-nup or post-nup agreement been signed, to assure the timely deliverance of a “get”?

Some people will die this year. Are burial plots already purchased? Have pre-need funeral arrangements been made? Does each spouse have the tools and abilities to function alone, or will the death of one inevitably lead to the death of the other (in one form or another)?

Some people will suffer injuries, car accidents, etc. Are there plans in place – health insurance, disability insurance, life insurance?

We never want to think things are out of our control. And hopefully the life changes that come our way are in the positive side of the equation. But we learn from Sarah and Avraham – remembered on Rosh Hashana – that all kinds of changes can happen. How we choose to operate when those changes come will make all the difference in how our lives will turn out in the coming year.