Oy, vey – look how ‘late’ is New Year’s Day

No one ever complains that Thanksgiving came early this year, or that Labor Day came late. Secular holidays are always deemed to arrive on time. But Jews never seem able to accept the arrival of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, in a similar spirit of equanimity. A few years ago, when Rosh Hashana arrived just two days after Labor Day, people complained that it was too early; this year, when it occurs at the end of September, they will complain that it comes too late. I’m still waiting for the year I can arrive in synagogue and hear two people whispering to each other that, thankfully, the New Year came on time for once.

As a congregational rabbi for more than 20 years, I have come to cherish this season, despite the many associated pressures of preaching sermons, entertaining guests and keeping up with day-to-day tasks. The trick is to engage in a “glass half-full” mentality. In the Jewish tradition, this is referred to as “recognition of the good.” Whether Rosh Hashana comes early or late, one can find several advantages that more than outweigh the disadvantages. Because it comes late this year, let’s look at the advantages so that folks aren’t too crestfallen when they walk into synagogue on Thursday.

According to the Jewish calendar, Rosh Hashana is regarded as the first of the fall holidays. Certainly it feels more like fall as we enter October than it did just after Labor Day. As the parent of a college freshman, I am relieved that my son will have an opportunity to settle into college life for a few weeks before the arrival of the holidays disrupt his routine. I always appreciate a few extra weeks to give my sermons a last-minute polishing.

And, with the holiday falling late, we gain a huge benefit for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement and a fast day as well. Observed just a week after Rosh Hashana ––this year, from the evening of Friday, Oct. 7, to the evening of Saturday, Oct. 8 –– we are assured that Yom Kippur will conclude a half-hour earlier than last year. This is no small matter when the walls of your stomach are collapsing from hunger. Additionally, we are almost certainly spared the possibility of having to observe a fast day during a heat wave, which is torture because drinking, like eating, is prohibited.

I worry sometimes that the timing of Rosh Hashana overshadows its meaning. Its message of examining our deeds carefully, of asking others for forgiveness for sins committed against them, would seem not to be strictly time-bound. Indeed, though the High Holidays are the season of the most intensive days of repentance, the truth is that tradition requires us to repent daily.

So let’s not concentrate on this being a late New Year; let’s just pray for a sweet one.

Hoffman is spiritual leader of Temple Israel of South Merrick.