Vaera 5782, New Year of Hope

(יב) לִמְנ֣וֹת יָ֭מֵינוּ כֵּ֣ן הוֹדַ֑ע וְ֝נָבִ֗א לְבַ֣ב חׇכְמָֽה׃

(12) To number our days, surely make us know that this will bring us heart-wisdom.

As the seasons alternate and return, how do we avoid the despair of winter, or Ecclesiastes, and the movie Groundhog Day. Ein chadash tachat hashamesh?

קהלת א׳:ז׳-ט׳

(ז) כׇּל־הַנְּחָלִים֙ הֹלְכִ֣ים אֶל־הַיָּ֔ם וְהַיָּ֖ם אֵינֶ֣נּוּ מָלֵ֑א אֶל־מְק֗וֹם שֶׁ֤הַנְּחָלִים֙ הֹֽלְכִ֔ים שָׁ֛ם הֵ֥ם שָׁבִ֖ים לָלָֽכֶת׃(ח) כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֣ים יְגֵעִ֔ים לֹא־יוּכַ֥ל אִ֖ישׁ לְדַבֵּ֑ר לֹא־תִשְׂבַּ֥ע עַ֙יִן֙ לִרְא֔וֹת וְלֹא־תִמָּלֵ֥א אֹ֖זֶן מִשְּׁמֹֽעַ׃(ט) מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ ה֣וּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֔ה וּמַה־שֶּׁנַּֽעֲשָׂ֔ה ה֖וּא שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂ֑ה וְאֵ֥ין כׇּל־חָדָ֖שׁ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּֽׁמֶשׁ׃

Ecclesiastes 1:7-9

(7) All streams flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is never full;
To the place [from] which they flow
The streams flow back again.(8) All such things are wearisome:
No man can ever state them;
The eye never has enough of seeing,
Nor the ear enough of hearing.(9) Only that shall happen
Which has happened,
Only that occur
Which has occurred;
There is nothing new
Beneath the sun!

שמות ו׳:ט׳

(ט) וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר מֹשֶׁ֛ה כֵּ֖ן אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וְלֹ֤א שָֽׁמְעוּ֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִקֹּ֣צֶר ר֔וּחַ וּמֵעֲבֹדָ֖ה קָשָֽׁה׃ {פ}

Exodus 6:9

(9) But when Moses told this to the Israelites, they would not listen to Moses, with their shortened spirits and from harsh slavery.

רש"י על שמות ו׳:ט׳:ב׳

מקצר רוח. כָּל מִי שֶׁהוּא מֵצֵר, רוּחוֹ וּנְשִׁימָתוֹ קְצָרָה, וְאֵינוֹ יָכוֹל לְהַאֲרִיךְ בִּנְשִׁימָתוֹ:

Rashi on Exodus 6:9:2

מקצר רוח THROUGH ANGUISH (lit. shortness) OF SPIRIT — If one is in anguish his breath comes in short gasps and he cannot draw long breaths.

משנה ראש השנה א׳:א׳

(א) אַרְבָּעָה רָאשֵׁי שָׁנִים הֵם. בְּאֶחָד בְּנִיסָן רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַמְּלָכִים וְלָרְגָלִים. בְּאֶחָד בֶּאֱלוּל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לְמַעְשַׂר בְּהֵמָה. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמְרִים, בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי. בְּאֶחָד בְּתִשְׁרֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לַשָּׁנִים וְלַשְּׁמִטִּין וְלַיּוֹבְלוֹת, לַנְּטִיעָה וְלַיְרָקוֹת. בְּאֶחָד בִּשְׁבָט, רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה לָאִילָן, כְּדִבְרֵי בֵית שַׁמַּאי. בֵּית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים, בַּחֲמִשָּׁה עָשָׂר בּוֹ:

Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1

(1)They are fourNew Years,One being the first of Nisan, the New Year for kings;And forthe Festivals,On the first of Elul is the New Year for animal tithes;...On the first of Tishrei is the New Year for counting years, and forSabbatical Years and Jubilee Years,for planting,and forvegetables,On the first of Shevat is the New Year for the tree; ...

ראש השנה י״א ב:ג׳-ד׳

בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ — כִּדְאִיתָא. בְּתִשְׁרִי עֲתִידִין לִיגָּאֵל — אָתְיָא ״שׁוֹפָר״ ״שׁוֹפָר״. כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״בְּיוֹם הַהוּא יִתָּקַע בְּשׁוֹפָר גָּדוֹל״.רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר: בְּנִיסָן נִגְאֲלוּ, בְּנִיסָן עֲתִידִין לִיגָּאֵל —

Rosh Hashanah 11b:3-4

It was taught in the baraita: In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt, as it is explicitly stated in the Torah. The baraita continues: In Tishrei in the future the Jewish people will be redeemed in the final redemption. This is derived by shofar and another instance of the word shofar. It is written here, with regard to Rosh HaShana: “Sound a shofar at the New Moon” (Psalms 81:4), and it is written there, with regard to the final redemption: “And it shall come to pass on that day, that a great shofar shall be blown” (Isaiah 27:13).It was also taught in the baraita: Rabbi Yehoshua says: In Nisan our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt; and in Nisan in the future the Jewish people will be redeemed...

The goal of Masechet Rosh Hashanah is to transform Rosh Hashanah to the New Year! To actually shift the calendar, or to record the shift So much of our calendar was based upon the agriculture of Eretz Yisrael that only a new year independent of those, and tied to individual and communal judgement, which is much more portable, could perhaps be sustained in a diaspora. After all, shofarot, eyes, and ears are portable! This can be stretched to represent the Yetzirah level, D’rash, or derived meaning.
So to what purpose the January 1st New Year:
To synch our calendars with that of our neighbors,
To number our days, growing wiser
To avoid the kotzer ruach, and to feel we can leave behind crushing world events. A firth new year of Hope.
Chamisha Roshei shanim heim

“Phil: Do you know what today is?
Rita: No, what?
Phil: Today is tomorrow. It happened.”
- 'Groundhog Day'