Dear Friends,
Rosh Hashanah is around the corner. And let’s be clear. It’s not the warm-up. It’s the moment.
We stand at the edge of a new year. More than a new date. A new chapter. And this time, more than ever, we feel the weight of it. The past twelve months have been some of the most unpredictable in recent memory.
The trauma of October 7 is still fresh. War continues to rage in Israel, and it's erupted in Iran. We’ve seen floods, wildfires, heatwaves, hurricanes, mass shootings, political unrest, and a culture increasingly confused about truth and morality. And antisemitism? It’s no longer hiding. It’s marching on college campuses, shouting in the streets, and growing louder every day. In so many ways, it feels like the world is out of control.
So where do we turn?
Of course! Rosh Hashanah.
At first, that may not sound helpful. After all, Rosh Hashanah is about the cosmos. The King of the universe. The creation of the world. The fate of nations. Big, sweeping realities. What does that have to do with me, with my home, with the challenges I face every day?
The deeper truth is this: the grandeur of Rosh Hashanah isn’t meant to make us feel small. It’s meant to remind us that the same Hashem who creates galaxies also cares about the choices we make in our kitchens and classrooms. If He renews the entire universe on this day, surely, He renews the strength within each of us to live with purpose. Rosh Hashanah proclaims His majesty over the world. And in that very moment, it calls on us to claim responsibility over our own lives.
We don’t control global policy, inflation, weather patterns, or breaking news. However, we do control something much greater than all of that: how we live.
We decide how we speak and listen. How we treat one another. What values we uphold. What we chase. What we cherish. Hashem gives us life. We choose what we do with it.
I can’t stop the storms, but I can bring calm into my home.
I can’t stop hatred online, but I can create warmth and connection at my Shabbos table.
I can’t erase suffering from the headlines, but I can choose to be honest, kind, compassionate, and rooted in truth.
That’s the essence of Rosh Hashanah. More than crowning Hashem as King, it’s about renewing our role in His kingdom. If He runs the world, then we must run our lives. If He holds the universe, then we must hold ourselves accountable.
There’s a joke I’ve always loved:
A wife tells her husband, “You take care of the big decisions. I’ll handle the small ones.”
He beams with pride. Finally, some recognition.
She continues: “You can decide whether the country should go to war with Iran, or what the global economy should look like. I’ll decide where we live, how to raise the kids, and what school they’ll attend.”
Hashem runs the big decisions. The little decisions are ours. And the truth is, those so-called “small” decisions are the ones that shape everything.
So, this Rosh Hashanah, here’s the real question:
Am I going to waste energy fretting about the global issues I cannot control? Or will I focus on what Hashem has placed in my hands: the choices I make, the relationships I build, the values I live by, and make those the very best they can be?
That is the call of Rosh Hashanah: to live with clarity, strength, and purpose. And one of the beautiful choices you can make is to celebrate it with your Chabad of Naples family. Together we create a soulful, joyful, uplifting environment. Filled with meaning, song, prayer, and of course, plenty of good food. It’s more than a holiday. It’s your holiday. It's more than a home. It's your home.
May this year bring clarity to the confused, strength to the weary, and freedom to the captive.
May every hostage return home.
May Am Yisrael and the world know peace.
כתיבה וחתימה טובה
May you and your family be inscribed for a good, sweet, and meaningful year.
Rabbi Fishel and Ettie Zaklos
Please accept our sincere best wishes for a SHANA TOVA, a Healthy and Happy New Year for 5786, a year filled with an abundance of G-d's blessings of good health, happiness, prosperity, meaning and fulfillment. And of course, peace and only good news from Israel and the world over.
Shabbat Shalom, Chag Someach, Shana Tovah!