The Gregorian New Year is upon us, and it’s hard to ignore the “new year, new you” energy coming from everywhere you look. Why not embrace it?
Regular times of introspection, reflection, and teshuva are an important part of Judaism, and we have four New Years every year (it’s not just Rosh Hashanah!), so use the energy of this time to your advantage in a Jewish way.
I made a video about making the “Word of the Year” practice Jewish because I’ve enjoyed using this alternative to a New Year’s Resolution for many years now. Get some good ideas in under 90 seconds!
(Never heard of choosing a Word of the Year? Here’s a brief intro – no paywall.)
What’s going to be your Milat Hashanah?
Transcript below.
Transcript:
Pick a word of the year, but make it Jewish. Maybe you’ve heard of this alternative to a New Year’s resolution. Picking a word or phrase to kind of sum up the feeling and the vibes you wanna have for your coming year. Word of the year. Word for the year. Let’s call it Milat Hashanah, word of the year in Hebrew. You could use classic words like peace, grounded, joy, enough,
balance. The classic that I have seen some people use is shalom, peace. Use it to ground yourself in tough moments. Use it to guide whether you say yes to a new project. Will this bring you shalom? Here’s some other choices for your Milat Hashanah. Baruch Hashem: thank God. Gratitude, thankfulness, L’Chaim: to life, choose joy,
choose connection. Limmud: learning, especially for those who wanna deepen their Jewish education in the coming year. Simcha: joy, pretty self-explanatory, right? Mishpacha: family. Whether that’s your family of origin or family of choice. Tikkun Olam: Repairing the world. There’s plenty that needs repairing. All right, and the most obvious word of all for Milat Hashanah: tradition!
Just sing it to yourself. Anytime you need encouragement as you try to implement new-to-you traditions in your life, what word is gonna be your Milat Hashanah for this year? Drop it in the comments below.
