Celebrating Rosh Hashanah Telling our Story

 Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tovah,


I hope that everyone enjoys a wonderful new year.

As we all gather for the High Holidays and join together in prayer, we share the stories of the past year and become the authors of the stories for the coming year.

As you will see below in the lyrics from Hamilton, the question is who will tell our story and what will they say about us?

This is the time of year when we can revise the stories we are telling by the way we have acted and we can reboot and refresh.  We can change, we can do teshuvah.  We can choose the book of life by the ways in which we care for ourselves and others.  This is not history, nor herstory, it is and will become OURSTORY.

I hope and pray that the stories we author, and the stories that people tell about us, will be stories of joy, peace, and acts of kindness.

May we all enjoy good health and be safe in the new year.

May we all be inscribed for a sweet new year.

Rabbi Bruce Aft

Lyrics
Let me tell you what I wish I'd knownWhen I was young and dreamed of gloryYou have no controlWho lives, who dies, who tells your story?
President JeffersonI'll give him this, his financial system is a work of geniusI couldn't undo it if I triedAnd I've tried
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?
President MadisonHe took our country from bankruptcy to prosperityI hate to admit itBut he doesn't get enough credit for all the credit he gave us
Who lives, who dies, who tells your story
Every other founding fathers' story gets toldEvery other founding father gets to grow old
And when you're gone, who remembers your name?Who keeps your flame?Who tells your story?Who tells your story?Who tells your story?
I put myself back in the narrative(Eliza)I stop wasting time on tearsI live another 50 yearsIt's not enough (Eliza)
I interview every soldier who fought by your side(She tells our story)I try to make sense of your thousands of pages of writingsYou really do write like you're running out of time
I rely on AngelicaWhile she's alive, we tell your storyShe is buried in Trinity Church near youWhen I needed her most, she was right on timeAnd I'm still not throughI ask myself, what would you do if you had more timeThe Lord, in his kindnessHe gives me what you always wantedHe gives me more time
I raise funds in D.C. for the Washington Monument(She tells my story)I speak out against slaveryYou could have done so much more if you only had timeAnd when my time is up, have I done enough?Will they tell your story?
Oh, can I show you what I'm proudest of?(The orphanage)I established the first private orphanage in New York City(The orphanage)I help to raise hundreds of childrenI get to see them growing up(The orphanage)In their eyes I see you, AlexanderI see you every timeAnd when my time is upHave I done enough?Will they tell your story?
Oh, I can't wait to see you againIt's only a matter of timeWill they tell your story? (Time)Who lives, who dies, who tells your story? (Time)Will they tell your story? (Time)Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?
Source: Musixmatch
Songwriters: Lin-manuel Miranda
Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story lyrics © 5000 Broadway Music

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