Is there anything Jewish about New Year’s on January 1? Our initial reaction is no. We have our New Year’s on Rosh Hashanah. At the same time, there are a few ways that January 1 can relate to us as Jews.
Novy God is the Russian phrase for "New Year" and also refers to the Russian celebration of New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. There were no religious holidays recognized under Communism, so Novy God was the only national festive day Russians celebrated that wasn’t about the Revolution. It was a day off and an opportunity to relax with family and have too much to eat and drink.
What’s Jewish about this? (Besides the eating and drinking…馃槉)
Matti Friedman, noted Israeli author, recently
addressed the impact that Soviet immigration
has had on Israel 30 years later. He
writes:
Much about the cultural
trajectory of the Russian aliyah in Israel - from nowhere, to the margins,
toward the center - is contained in a story about Santa hats and mayonnaise. This is the saga of Novy God, a New Year’s
celebration beloved in the Russian-speaking world but unknown to the general
public here until a few years ago. “We
didn’t have the 17,000 holidays that Israelis have,” as Alex Rif put it. “We
celebrated birthdays and Novy God.” For
years, Novy God was celebrated behind closed doors. This was in part because it involves not only
optional Santa hats but a mandatory evergreen which looks, to Jewish eyes,
suspiciously like a Christmas tree.
In the last several years, Novy God has started to get a higher profile in Israel as Soviet Jews (or their children) celebrate it as a sign of their cultural identity even as they have become Israeli.
What about those of us not in Israel? Anything Jewish about New Year’s?
There are a number of Chasidic anecdotes that play up the significance of January 1. It is said that Rebbe Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev would wish people a happy new year on January 1. Likewise, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the late Lubavitcher Rebbe, once wished a Chassid a happy new year on January 1. The Rebbe told his surprised follower that he was following the tradition of Rebbe Levi Yitzchak. Another Chasidic master, the Ba’al Ha-Yeshuos, would bless people with a good year. He would lightheartedly add that when God contrasts the non-Jewish celebration of New Year’s with the Jewish commitment to Rosh Hashanah, it would bring us extra merit.
My understanding of the Chasidic acknowledgement of January 1 as noteworthy and even spiritually significant is that the date has come to represent moving forward.
There is nothing more Jewish than taking advantage of opportunities to acknowledge and encourage progress. Especially during a time when we have been faced with so many challenges, we need to celebrate every chance we have to declare that we’re still standing and committed to moving forward.
So, remember to write 2021 on those checks (for those who still write checks), maybe try some of those Russian Novy God delicacies (they often involve salted fish, borscht, and mayonnaise), and, above all, let’s wish each other “Shanah Tovah!” for the opportunity to keep moving forward.
