Beware of Turning Blessings Into Curses

The end of the Jewish year means that many people are in search of a new Jewish calendar for the new year 5782. For some reason, Publix provided us with double the usual number of Jewish calendars. So if you, your relatives, your friends- or any of their neighbors- need a Jewish calendar, there’s a stack of them available on the bookshelf opposite the shul offices.

        While each calendar year is slightly different, there are some features that are common among them. Many calendars begin with the Hebrew words “Tachel Shana Uvirchoteha”, “May the New Year begin, along with its blessing.” And most of those calendars that begin that way will end with the words, “Tichleh Shana V’Kileloteha”, “May the current year end, along with its curses”. I understand why we mention our hope for blessings to usher in the New Year. Rosh Hashanah is the time of new beginnings and fresh starts. It is an opportunity to be optimistic and hopeful. But why do we assume, already before the year begins, that by the end of the year we will have experienced curses? It is true that this past year of 5781 has been a difficult year, with much illness and challenges due to the pandemic. And it may also be true that every human being experiences some type of difficulty over the course of a year, let alone a lifetime. But why are we talking about the possibility of curses even before we have experienced any of the blessings of the new year?

        Rav Yaakov Galinsky explained that the phrase “May the year end, along with its curses” is more of a warning than a prediction. It is human nature to take for granted that which we already possess. Moreover, it is not uncommon for people over time to get accustomed to the blessings in their lives and desire more and bigger blessings. The problem creeps in when we stop expressing gratitude for those blessings and start expressing disdain. What was initially viewed as a blessing can over time begin to be viewed as a curse. We need to look no further than the story of the manna that the Jews ate in the desert. When it first began to fall, it was viewed as a great miracle. After some time the people begin to refer to the manna as “that cursed bread”.

        There’s nothing wrong with wanting more blessings in our life- so long as we never lose sight of our obligation to be grateful for the blessings that we already receive. On Rosh Hashanah before we ask Hashem to increase our blessings, let us make sure to count those blessings we already have. Let us make sure to acknowledge and give thanks to those blessings that we already possess. In the story of creation we read (2:5) after vegetation was created, it did not immediately begin to grow because it did not rain. And it did not rain because man was not yet around to pray for that rain. The Maharal learns an important lesson from this episode: “It is forbidden to bestow blessings on someone who won’t appreciate it.” Let’s make sure that we appreciate all of the blessings in our life.

        On Rosh Hashana we dip the apple in the honey. Even though apples are already a sweet fruit, we dip it in honey to express our desire for even more sweetness in our lives. Rav Galinsky points out that even though we seek to add sweetness, we make the blessing over the apple. This teaches the same lesson: It’s okay to desire more sweetness and to pray for it- so long as we continue to bless the apple, and we don’t lose sight of the blessings that Hashem already provides for us.