By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski has sent this letter to rabbis in South Florida on the occasion of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is celebrated this year on Sept. 15, 2023.
September 12, 2023
Dear Rabbi:
As you and your community prepare to celebrate Rosh Hashanah and Yon Kippur, allow me on behalf of my fellow Catholics to wish you Shanah Tovah.
Coat of arms of the Archdiocese of Miami (left) and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.
Rosh Hashanah is described in the Torah as Yom Teru’ah, a day of sounding (the Shofar). The sound of the shofar is also a call to repentance — to wake up and re-examine our commitment to God and to correct our ways. Our culture today is deeply wounded by individualism, by narcissism; it is wounded by materialism that denies the transcendence of the human person.
This explains a lot about why politics are so polarizing today. We need a new kind of politics — one focused on moral principles, not on polls; on the needs of the vulnerable, not the contributions of the powerful; and on the pursuit of the common good, not the demands of special interests.
These holy days so dear to those of the Jewish faith remind all of us of our responsibility to “repair the world” (Tikkun Olam).
While this task is certainly daunting, we nevertheless ask G-d to hear our prayers for a New Year filled with health and the blessings of peace and atonement.
Sincerely yours,
Most Reverend Thomas Wenski
Archbishop of Miami
