Fresh Starts

An angry reader stormed into a newspaper office, waving the current edition, and demanding to see the editor of the obituary column. Finding the responsible party, the reader shouted, “Do you see my name here? Obviously I am very much alive! I demand a retraction!”

The editor responded, “It’s against newspaper policy to apologize for a story. I tell you what – I’ll include you in tomorrow’s birth announcements and give you fresh start!”

As we approach the Jewish New Year, each of us have been given the opportunity for a fresh start, a do-over. Let us be aware of this precious gift, a chance to be grateful for what we have and the possibility of doing better in the year to come! May the sound of the Shofar awaken in us a longing for repentance and change. May we be stirred to improve our world, beginning with the words, “I am sorry.”