A Shama Tova, good New Year to you, to your family and to the Jewish people throughout the world.

There's something very strange about Rosh Hashanah.

I wonder if you've noticed.

Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the Aserat Yomai Chuvah,

the ten days of penitence, culminating in Yom Kippur. And therefore you would have thought that we should begin that process of penitence

with penitence, confessing our sins.

Hasham no bugatnu gazalmu, al-chaid shehotanu,

slach l'anau, v cetera, slach and achal.

And yet, of course, if you look in the prize for Rosh Hashanah, there isn't a hint of

any of this, none of it.

Not one real word about Chuvua. What there is is talk about Malkhyot, Zichronod,

that's the basic structure of Mussov, God's kingship and sovereignty over the universe, his remembrance

of things past, and the chauphrod the clarion call of the ram's horn those

are the basic structures of the Musa Famida and they're about God they're not about

us and when we try and define Rosh Hashanah in terms of the Makhsa, we see Hayom Harad Olam.

Today is the anniversary of creation.

It's the birthday of the world.

Nothing about Chuvra in that.

So little hints here and there, little hints.

Zahreinu Lechaym, Kostveenu Lechaym, writers in the book of life,

Avina, malqueenna, shallo, and the Ashurana Zod, tova,

bring us back with perfect repentance, but we say that at other times of the year.

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