As we welcome Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we embark on a period of reflection and renewal. It’s a time when we aspire to enhance our relationships with G-d and with others and to make the most of our opportunities. We celebrate our blessings and navigate through struggles, conflicts, and loss.
These things are easy to aspire to and sometimes difficult to achieve. It can be hard to accept the world as it is. Yet, according to the Torah, that’s what we must do. The question is how.
Viewing acceptance in the Torah
Where does the biblical concept of acceptance come from? The Torah commands, “You shall be ‘wholehearted’ [Tamim] with the Lord, your G-d” (Devarim 18:13).
An example of temimut is when the Israelites accepted the Torah at Mount Sinai with the words, “We will do and [then] ‘understand’ (Exodus 24:7).” They committed to follow G-d’s commandments even before knowing all the details, demonstrating a profound level of acceptance.
Another example applies specifically to Rosh Hashanah. When we hear the ram’s horn [shofar] being blown on Rosh Hashanah, we hear this as an “alarm” to be heeded. It’s not a time to focus on how many seconds long the blast lasted, whether the tones were satisfactory according to Jewish law, or whether the shofar blower became confused and blew more or less blasts than the required amount.
The point is to simply hear the shofar blast with an open heart and not get caught up in the details. In other words, we should listen as a child who listens to the shofar’s call with simple, wholehearted reverence in experiencing the awesomeness of G-d.
The many facets of acceptance
There is no one way to understand what it is to be Tamim and the larger concept known as temimut. While modern Hebrew defines Tamim as one who is naïve, gullible, or intellectually simple, the Rabbis and biblical scholars take a different view.
Experts in the Torah and Jewish law agree that a Tamim is a person who acts with a whole heart. Alternate interpretations include one who is sincere, has integrity, and is complete in a spiritual sense. A Tamim accepts their situation first, rather than immediately overcomplicating matters. A Tamim listens with a willing heart, hearing without judgment.
Acceptance also means approaching life with an open heart and acceptance of the present moment. This doesn’t mean we can’t carefully weigh the future and take precautions against realistic risk. We can’t discount the value of experience and intuition. However, acceptance guides us from being frozen in our tracks by an imagined, unknowable future.
How to accept the world with an open heart
There is no shortage of guidance about how to put temimut into practice. Our task is to understand how we can apply the concepts of acceptance and wholeheartedness to our actions in the coming year.
Temimut isn’t always easy to grasp, so how can we know if we are Tamim? One way is to ask ourselves questions such as these:
- Am I open to new people, ideas, and situations without immediate judgment or dissection?
- Is my initial reaction to fully listen to others, or do I immediately pick things apart, interrupt, or become oppositional?
- Can I accept the facts as they are, allowing time later for further investigation, exploration, and decision-making?
These questions don’t have easy answers, but they can guide us toward greater acceptance and wholeheartedness in the year ahead.
Why Temimut matters in the New Year
In an already stressful and complicated world, being Tamim is difficult. This year feels especially difficult for Jewish people around the globe as we share the pain of Israelis murdered by our enemies on Oct. 7, 2023, those still held in captivity under deplorable conditions, the families who have lost loved ones, and the shattered and displaced communities. Yet, even in the most painful situations, temimut is always possible.
We need only listen to Rachel Goldberg-Polin and John Polin at their son Hersh’s funeral 332 days after he was kidnapped. We see acceptance, along with the strength to honor Hersh’s memory in the future.
In her loving words, “It’s not that Hersh was perfect, but he was the perfect son for me. I want to thank G-d in front of all of you for giving me the magnificent present of Hersh for 23 years. I just wish it had been longer. And Hersh, there is one last thing I need you to do for us. Now I need you to help us stay strong and I need you to help us survive”.
And from Hersh’s father: “Hersh, the 23 years of life we had with you were a blessing. We will now work to make your legacy a blessing.”
Their acceptance doesn’t negate their grief but demonstrates a profound commitment to living with integrity and hope. May we see a return of the hostages to their loved ones and healing to those who were wounded.
Wishing you blessings for a sweet and meaningful Rosh Hashanah 5785
Rosh Hashanah can help us chart a course for the new year. Striving toward, temimut provides the opportunity to strengthen our relationship with G-d, our family and friends, our colleagues, customers, and the larger world. We at Elite Roofing value our relationship with you, welcome your feedback, and strive to act with sincerity and integrity.
From all of us at Elite Roofing, we wish you a Rosh Hashanah filled with health, happiness, and peace. L’Shana Tovah.
