When It Is Rosh Hashanah

Every new year is the door to a beginning. For people, the new year means new emotions, new wishes, new events.

None of us is perfect. We all keep striving to be a better person. Some of us want to lose weight, others want to stop smoking, and the aim of others is to save money. Some of us want to be more patient, others more orderly, others more tolerant...

Well, to begin to change, why do we choose the first days of the new year and not the last days of the old one? People have the habit of taking new decisions on entering a new year, and one must decide to continue this good attitude the whole year through. For example, to settle everything at one go, it is better to begin with small steps.

One must be realistic. We can take a decision, for example, to do more exercise, to lose weight and keep healthy. To run a kilometre or walk every morning is hard in winter with the rain; so do twenty movements at home, in the morning or at night.

Not for charity — don't regret it!...

This year we shall think, and truly believe from within our hearts, that there will be peace in the world, that humanity will no longer think of evil, and will strive so that the world becomes more beautiful from day to day.

To begin, we shall at once look for a friend who thinks we have forgotten him.

We shall purify our minds of black intentions and of jealousy.

We shall be more delicate and more refined with those around us.

We shall pay people compliments so that they are happy. We shall forget the injustices done to us.

We shall listen much more and be attentive.

When we are unjust, we shall not refrain from apologizing.

We shall give importance to ideas different from our own.

When we get sad or angry we shall ask ourselves: will this problem be so important two weeks from now?

When we need courage, we shall say 'yes' to ourselves.

We shall not forget to smile much more. We shall have much more tolerance.

It is not easy to do all this; but one must begin with faith. And whatever is worthwhile of what we accomplish this year will form a step for the year to come. One must not regret the decisions one has taken.

A new year is a new future. And life will pass like this, with new wishes, illusions, emotions and ideas...

Now that we are in the week of Rosh Hashanah, one of the most important festivals and the day to beseech God, hearing the shofar, to pray for the new year, for health, happiness, and for peace and love in the whole world…

Jews take new decisions, make an effort to purify themselves of their faults, and believe they will be forgiven their sins by the Almighty.

All who are angry with one another must make peace, must be reconciled before Rosh Hashanah, so as to enter the new year without sin.

All promises must be kept, so as to be a humbler person and more fruitful to humanity.

May we all be written in the holy books... Good inscriptions, and may God keep us from the things we cannot keep ourselves from...