Ever wonder why so many people love to get drunk on New Year’s Eve?
It’s not a new custom. In fact, the explanation goes all the way back to ancient Rome. The Romans, so precise about grammar, were equally organized with their calendar. They had precisely 12 months with precisely 30 days each, which left five days at the end of the year that didn’t fit the pattern.
So they decided they’d recreate the primordial chaos from which the universe emerged … by getting loaded to the gills for those five days. And that’s why 2,000 years later, we get drunk and stupid on New Year’s Eve. We’re busy recreating chaos by drinking too much, kissing the wrong person, spending too much, and doing other dumb and dangerous things.
Not so the ancient Israelites, who took a much more, shall we say, sober approach to the New Year.
First, they celebrated in what translates to our September, which somehow feels more like the beginning of a new year than the dead of winter. In our world, September means back to school, back to work, and back to football. It’s a season of new beginnings.
Second, instead of indulging in chaos and carnality, the Jewish tradition suggests that New Year’s is a time for reflection and admission of sin. Observant Jews to this day use this holiday period, which ends with the Day of Atonement, as a time to consider where we failed and how we can do better going forward.
These 10 days are marked by prayer, charitable giving to demonstrate sincerity, asking forgiveness of those we harmed, and on two days, fasting.
A far cry from the party hats and lampshades you’d find in Ancient Rome.
Third, and most important for our purposes, the main theme of the Jewish New Year is acknowledging God’s kingship over the universe. The ancient Greeks may have argued that “man is the measure of all things,” but the ancient Jews declared that God is the master of everything and everyone.
So if you looked into a traditional Jewish prayer book, even today, you’d find the concept of God’s kingship front and center in New Year services.
What, then, is the universal message of Rosh Hashana? What’s the takeaway that benefits everyone, Jews and Christians alike?
For the answer, we turn to Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, otherwise known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe, who, until his death in 1994, was one of the world’s most influential Jewish leaders.
Rabbi Schneerson saw it this way: “God, it’s great that you rule over the universe. But you know what? Big deal! I’ll tell you what I really need. I need you to rule over me!”
In other words, divine sovereignty over the universe is a little hard to get your mind around. But inviting God in to rule over me, personally? That I can hang with.
An ancient rabbinical teaching says that in the end of days, God will personally slaughter the Evil Inclination, the voice on our shoulder that whispers in our ear and tells us to do the wrong thing.
The righteous will watch and decide that the Evil Inclination is the size of a mountain.
The wicked will watch and decide that the Evil Inclination is the size of a strand of human hair.
The righteous will ask, “How did we ever get past an obstacle so huge?”
The wicked will ask, “How did we get tripped up and taken down by something so small?”
No matter our religious identity, we all have that positive voice on one shoulder and the negative voice on the other shoulder, convincing us that their position is best.
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In this new year, whether it’s back to work, back to school, back to watching the NFL, or back to taking life more seriously now that summer’s over, we can all pick up on that prayer of the Lubavitcher Rebbe: “God, ruling over the universe … that’s your business. But help me to hear and obey that positive inner voice.”
Wishing you a happy and healthy new year at work, at school, with your favorite or fantasy football team, and in your own life’s journey. And live the spirit of Rosh Hashana by asking God … ”Rule over me.”
Michael Levin is a two-time New York Times bestselling author. His next novel, 2028, A Political Thriller, will be published by Morgan James in April.