Reader's letter

These moments before the High Holidays are a time of reflection and, therefore, we are more aware of time itself. When asking us to be confirmed for another year of life, it is inevitable to take stock of the past year. Have we used the time well? What was our contribution to others? And the community? What have we done with our life, the most precious of Divine gifts?

The concept of time was born with the ancient Hebrews. Other ancient people, despite having learned to measure it, believed that time was a continuous coming and going, in circles, and that everything that happened in the future was a repetition of the past. It was in ancient Israel that the concept of time changed to include the idea of ​​progress, that tomorrow does not necessarily need to be the same as today or yesterday. It is also in the first chapters of the Bible that man appears as the only being with the freedom to choose his own paths. In many ways, the idea of ​​"Free Will" should be a self-evident truth - indispensable not only to any religion, but also to any worldview that holds humans responsible for their actions.

We ask ourselves: how do these two interconnected concepts, time and free will, allow us to see a better tomorrow than yesterday? This is due to the very central idea of ​​the Jewish New Year, which is the search for Teshuvah. More than a word, it is a concept, which we generally translate as repentance but which, in reality, means going back, changing direction, that is, admitting mistakes and committing to act differently from now on. This allows us to think differently about time: as the stage for change, the place where we can make a difference - for ourselves and for others.

Yom Kippur, whose hours take us deep within ourselves, represents nothing more than a tiny fraction of the year. But it is a unique opportunity - because, collected in introspection, away from our day-to-day lives, we can reflect on our lives. It's true that everything we do takes time, but there are certain decisions that have the power to change an entire life - and yet, they only take a few seconds to make.

"There are those for whom the conquest of their world takes many years", teaches the Talmud, as they build it step by step, with the conventional tools of conquest. But there are also those who conquer it in "a simple instant" - in the blink of an eye, uncountable in terms of time, but which shapes the future and completely redefines the past.

This Rosh Hashanah, the Congregação Beneficente Sefaradi Paulista celebrates 40 years since the inauguration of its first headquarters, the Beit Yaacov Synagogue on Rua Bela Cintra, in São Paulo. The Morashá team takes advantage of the start of the new Jewish year to congratulate all those who have helped this entity to grow and flourish, throughout all these years, making a difference in the life of the community, keeping Jewish laws and traditions alive and transmitting them to the next generations.

And to all readers and their families, a year of health and achievements. May Gd renew our days and confirm us for a year of peace. Shaná Tová!