In Judaism, time isn’t linear– it’s circular.
Our time is marked by cycles on all scales. Every seven years, Israel’s agricultural cycle renews in a process called shemita. Yearly, our cycles are benchmarked with the holidays. Monthly, we acknowledge the new moon on Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the new month. Weekly, we return to our Shabbat rituals. And daily, we routinely pray at three distinct times.
Our “Jewish” clocks are circular, starting over and over again.
This order gives us routine for our otherwise unpredictable lives, providing us with a framework that keeps us grounded and connected– to our inner selves, to those who pray with us, and most importantly, to G-d. Through this framework, we are reminded of and become committed to this spiritual connectedness.
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, marks the beginning of a new cycle. It’s also the holiday most Jews recognize and often celebrate, regardless of their level of religious observance. The Jewish people live through a Hebrew calendar that separates the inner Jewish cycles from the secular calendar.
The value of the Jewish holidays is that they have specific meanings, and we have traditional actions that fulfill those meanings. On Rosh Hashanah, we blow the shofar 100 times each day. Though this is a fulfillment of a Biblical commandment, its purpose and deeper meaning is expressed by Maimonides in his Mishneh Torah. Maimonides explained that the Shofar serves as a loud and clear reminder of what we should be thinking about– how we lived in the past year, and what we want to bring into the next year.
The beauty of Jewish cycles is the consistency of our habits and routines. By repeating the same actions throughout our lives, we create benchmarks in which we can ultimately track our personal progression. The holidays serve as reminders throughout the year of our growth from the previous year. It’s a unique opportunity to better ourselves by regrouping and acknowledging how we’ve changed, for better or for worse, from the last time we were in this position.
The repetition of physical actions reminds us of the fluctuation of life– we return to the same physical space, but emotionally, spiritually and mentally, we have grown within that space.
It is typical to make “Rosh Hashanah resolutions,” much like people do for the secular New Year. The new year represents new beginnings– but it also reminds us that we’re going back to the beginning. We are given the same opportunity, year after year, no matter what we have done, to start again.
While listening to the shofar, our minds may wander. Throughout my life, I’ve heard the shofar being blown on Rosh Hashanah over 4,000 times. Every year, my thoughts have been different, and my Jewish identity has changed.
The Talmud says “Mitoch shelo lishma, bah lishmah.” The act of doing something may seem mundane and repetitive, but keep doing it, and eventually our intentions will match our actions.
We may not understand why we’re doing something now, but eventually, our minds will catch up with our physical actions.
Rather than scolding ourselves for our wandering minds during shofar blowing, try to remember the last time you sat and listened to the shofar. Your mind was probably wandering then too– but your spirituality and emotional depth have changed vastly. This experience may feel repetitive, but you are infinitely different every time.
