I don’t know much about Rent (the musical). Pretty much the only thing I know about it is that the song “Seasons of Love” comes from it, and, as such, I can tell you how many minutes there are in a year. We all know the words, a lot of them, if not all.

“How do you measure, measure a year?

In daylights, in sunsets
In midnights, in cups of coffee
In inches, in miles
In laughter, in strife”

As we sit on the precipice of Rosh Hashana, we say goodbye to the old year and hello to the new one. This is certainly been a year that I’ll never forget. Looking back, how do you measure a year like this?

In tears, in perakim of Tehillim

In duffle bags, in drones

In airport, in angels.

This has likely been the most challenging year of my life. (Thanks, Captain Obvious). The year I lost my mother was the most personally challenging for me, but this has been the most difficult year to be part of the broader Jewish community, I think even more difficult than Covid. I didn’t live during the time of the Holocaust or any of the other calamaties that have befallen our people over our history so I obviously can’t speak about that.

This year has certainly taken its toll on us. The pain and damage are both immense, too much for words. So much death. Too much death. Innocent victims still held hostage by Hamas monsters. It’s been almost a full calendar year. Every season and (almost) every holiday passing by without seeing the light of day. I want so badly for each of them to come home safely, fighting back my instincts that tell me that the murderous captors who snatched them in the first place do not make for the ideal caregivers. They have nothing to lose and that’s when everyone loses the most.

Yet, our darkest hours has also produced some of our finest hours. Transforming regular indivuals into heroes exhibiting superhuman strength they never imagine could’ve been conjured up.

This is a year when I’ve made many new connections and strengthened old ones. We’ve been able to accomplish so much together. I’ve never been more inspired, even amidst the heartbreak. I’ve grown so much, our family has grown.

Even among the challenges this has been a year that I’ll never forget, both for the bitter and for the sweet. Looking forward to an even better 5785.