Today marks 25 years since the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001.
For many of our generation, we can remember exactly where we were on that fateful morning. Some of us lost loved ones or friends. Some volunteered heroically and saved lives.
But, all of us were changed. It changed our psyche. It changed our outlook. It changed our security protocols. And, decades later, we still feel the impacts when we travel by air or look at the New York skyline.
What about, however, our children who were born after 9/11? To them this isn’t a change. It’s the only world they know. Security checkpoints are normal. Concerns for terrorism are a way of life. It would be absurd to think otherwise. For them, imagining a different reality is like imagining a world without cars or electricity for us. Sure, it exists hypothetically. But, practically, we can’t really imagine a world without the ideas and items we grew up with.
When we are forced to change our routines or conventional wisdom, it’s an imposition - perhaps even a nuisance. But, if it’s all you know, it’s completely acceptable.
As we reflect on a generation since September 11, perhaps the occasion of Rosh Hashanah can give us insight. The Jewish New Year is a time of reflection. We observe it not with fireworks, but with fiery prayer.
The new year allows – indeed begs – us to transform the past into the catalyst for the future; to look back in order to march forward.
And, it promises us a clean slate. A new leaf.
Every year we are able to purge the past and begin anew. To learn from the past, but unburden ourselves from it.
Rosh Hashanah teaches us how to grab the best of both sides – the past year and the new year. Build on the past, but don’t be encumbered by it.
The younger generation would do well to listen to the stories and lessons of their parents, who lived through 9/11. And, the older generation would do well to observe and learn from the simplicity of their children, who aren’t saddled with the trauma and doubt of the past.
At Rosh Hashanah, we would all do well to look at the past to improve the future. It is a future built on the past. And, it is a future devoid of the past. Its purity soars in only one direction – forward.
May you and yours be inscribed and sealed for a happy, sweet, good year.
Shana Tova!