With great joy and a smile both on my face and Judy’s face, we wish everyone a שנה טובה-a good and sweet New Year! The Congregation Am HaYam community has been so warm and kind in welcoming Judy and me to congregation, that means so very much to us. It is my hope that I’ve somehow managed to make as good an impression on the community as you have with me.

With Rosh Hashanah we have the beginning of the year, it’s start and with that, all our hopes and aspirations for the year before us. And with Yom Kippur, we have that opportunity to make to do an accounting of our own souls and see honestly where we met expectations of ourselves and just as honestly say where we missed the mark and can take this opportunity to make corrections with ourselves and amends with others.

I want to offer a few blessings to the members of our community, on this birthday of the world:

May you have the strength and courage to seek forgiveness for those occasions you missed the mark. And may you have the strength, courage and compassion to offer forgiveness to those who seek it from you.

On the occasion of the world’s birthday, I offer everyone my birthday blessing, may it be a year of good health, of joy and learning and discovery. A year of good friends and close family. A year of challenges worthy of your talents.

May 5786 find peace in our world. And may 5786 be just a little better, just a little brighter, because we were here and worked to make the world better and brighter for all its inhabitants.

Amen.

Again, my wife Judy joins me in wishing everyone שנה טובה ומתוקה-A happy and sweet year of 5786

Rabbi Ron