As we approach the beginning of the next year this weekend, we take a break from the rhythm of the story of the peoplehood of the children of Israel, and we turn to look forward rather than looking back... to reflection, to renewal, to release.
But we cannot look forward and hope for a brighter tomorrow without acknowledging the past. There is a piyut that some read on the eve on Rosh Hashanah, Aḥot Ketanah — “The Little Sister” by R. Abraham Ḥazan Gerondi, a cantor who was born in Salonica in 1533. Each verse concludes, "May the year and its curses come to an end." until the last verse: "May the year and its blessings begin."
It is read every year. Every year is filled with blessings and curses, but maybe right now, before the year starts, we can imagine that the blessings will outweigh the curses.
Shanah Tovah.