In Judaism, the most solemn time of the year is almost here. Wikipedia tells us: "Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei. The day is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of humanity's role in God's world. Rosh Hashanah customs include sounding the shofar (a hollowed-out ram's horn) and eating symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a 'sweet new year.'" This year Rosh Hashanah ("Head of the Year") begins at sunset on Wednesday, Sept. 24, and continues on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 25 and 26. The new year to be entered is Annum Mundi (Year of the World) 5775, that is, from the beginning of God's creation.

Since, in the Book of Exodus, we find the directive that the spring celebration of Passover is to occur in the month which is "the head of the calendar," we may wonder why the New Year should occur in the fall. We have only to remember that we all use multiple calendars: the civil year begins Jan. 1, but we also have a liturgical year, an academic year, and a fiscal year which all begin at different times. Wikipedia explains: "Rosh Hashanah marks the start of a new year in the Hebrew calendar — one of four 'new year' observances that define various legal 'years' for different purposes as explained" in various collections of law. "It is the new year for people, animals, and legal contracts."

The New Year celebration marks "settling of accounts" between God and people. If one is neither in the Book of Life nor "blotted out" as wicked, it is understood that God gives 10 days for repentance. These 10 days culminate in Yom Kippur ("the day of atonement"), this year occurring on Saturday, Oct. 4. Wikipedia refers to "an approximate 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer" in which one spends "most of the day in synagogue services." At the end of Yom Kippur, one's fate is sealed for the coming year.

Especially interesting to me is the use of the Book of Jonah on Yom Kippur. This very short book of the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament of the Christian Bible) is essentially a satire in which Jonah is the antihero. He resists the call of God to preach repentance to the city of Nineveh, and in his attempt to flee from God experiences a number of misadventures before he succeeds — against his will — in bringing the people of Nineveh to repentance. Jonah, in his perversity, wanted to see God destroying the city! The book concludes with a seemingly exasperated God exclaiming to Jonah: "Should I not be concerned over the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot know their right hand from their left, not to mention all the animals?"

We cannot know our right hand from our left. The Jewish holy days focus, of course, on human responsibility in making moral decisions. But, as God himself acknowledges at the end of Jonah, the sinfulness of human hearts is found in the midst of sheer inability to understand. So when we stand before God for a settling of accounts, we remember that God knows only too well our responsibility but also our befuddlement, and we welcome the clarity which can come to us if only we ask for it.