An Open Message for the New Year 5781

To David Horovitz, Founder and Chief Editor of the TIMES OF ISRAEL, to Miriam Herschlag and Anne Gordon, Co-Editors and to the entire hard-working devoted staff and our readers across the world:

As the New Year 5781 approaches us in a few more hours, we pray in hope as well as in trepidation of what the new year will bring us.
Please add your personal wishes to my list for all of you:

Good health, Improved health

Happiness. Peace. Success .Love .Long years of life. Family joy. Prosperity. Respect. Dedication. Devotion.

I hope I have not omitted any heartfelt good wishes.

For me, I thank the staff of the TIMES OF ISRAEL for having the extreme patience to put up with me and their dedication to publishing the news they feel best for our world-wide readers.

I rejoice in the many readers in many countries who respond to articles which I write. Most of their messages are positive which warm my heart and even the few critical responses are welcome and help me to know better to be more positive and less offensive.

We are living in peculiar times. On the one hand we are witnessing grave illnesses and far too many deaths from the corona pandemic. We are witnessing economic strangleholds. Too many hungry. Too many un-employed. Too many who have lost hope and trust in government. Too much hatred of brother to brother, loved one to loved one. Neighbor to neighbor.

On another hand we are witnessing the openness to countries who once were unfriendly to us. We are witnessing immense growth in our capacities to improve life and to renew confidence. We are witnessing our remarkable ability to protect our borders and to secure the lives of our citizens.

As we recite our holyday prayers either in synagogues or in our homes be assured that Almighty God will hear us. As He re-assured Hagar in the wilderness who prayed that God would spare her son Ishmael from death, He reminds us that our prayers and our cries to Him are heard “ba-asher hu sham”, wherever we happen to be. God is not far away from us and neither can we be far away from Him.

He expects us to follow the way of King Solomon who was both an “ohev shalom v’rodef shalom”, a lover of peace and a pursuer of peace.
Peace, friendship and love are not only nouns. They are intentions of actions which we must both feel and put into practice.

The year 5780 will depart from us in as few hours and we will welcome a new 5781 with hope for peace and for fulfillment of all our most noble dreams.

They cannot be served up to us on a silver platter. They can only fulfill us by our very own efforts.

As I bless God and thank Him for His great gift to me of almost 88 years, I pray that the new year will be one of health and strength to me, my children and grandchildren.. I pray that I may have the ability to share my random thoughts with the millions who read what I write.

I pray for life, good health, happiness and success to all the readers of our wonderful TIMES OF ISRAEL wherever they may be.

SHANAH TOVAH U’METOOKA U’MEVORECHET.

A sweet and blessed new year to all. Amen.