TOV To the Left of Me; TOV to the Right of Me; There’s TOV All Over!!!

Tonight starts the Jewish High Holy Days with Rosh Ha'Shanah (literally, the Head of the year). Many people mistakenly think this is the New Year on the Hebrew calendar. Actually the Jewish new year or first month happens in the spring. The Hebrew month of Nisan, begins the Hebrew/Jewish calendar. People will greet you with Happy New Year, but this is the seventh month. Maybe this time period had some agricultural or fiscal importance in ancient times.

The Hebrew greeting, L'Shanah TOVah, To a Good Year, a TOV year! Remember, TOV also means, “Words, Thoughts and Actions that Preserve Life, Protect Life, Make Life More Functional and Increases the Quality of Life.” But the TOV doesn't stop there!

Next week is the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur. We fast and pray and reflect on our past actions. We ask for forgiveness for transgressions against the Creator. Repairing all other relationships is OUR Responsibility, whether we are the one whom has been hurt, or we were the one doing the hurting.

The Tradition says that on Rosh Ha'Shanah all of our deeds were written down and on Yom Kippur, our fate is sealed for the year to come. (Difficult, since Judaism also says we have free will and free choice!) The greeting on Yom Kippur is, G'Mar Chatimah TOVah -- literally, May your (fate) be sealed for/with TOV (Life).

I’m just getting started – TOV is everywhere in Judaism!!!

● A Jewish Festival is called a Yom TOV, literally “A TOV Day!”

● When Shabbat ends we wish others a Shavuah TOV, “A TOV week.”

● There's Boker TOV, “A TOV morning – and -- A TOV afternoon; A TOV evening.

● A Shem TOV, A TOV(good) Name.

● Tam TOV, A TOV Taste.

● Ish TOV, A TOV man.

● Ishah TOVah, A TOV woman.

● Anashim TOVim, TOV People

OK,OK, I'll STOP!!! And the point is -- TOV encompasses everything having to do with all the Facets of Light and Life, for each of us and for all of creation.

Make learning about TOV and all the opportunities for creating TOV a commitment this coming year. It opens up the world of our humanity and lets us examine our MEMES (the thoughts in our minds), connects us with other people helping to make our little corner of the world better, safer, stronger and more peaceful.

I wish for all of us a “Year of TOV” – a year of acknowledging all the TOV in our lives.

L'Shanah TOVah

Rabbi Jeffrey Leynor