As frustrating it is to start back at the beginning, it can be liberating as well. Reading the first lines of Genesis again is an opportunity to find new interpretations and new meanings. While the Torah is the same, we are not, nor is the world around us. In a way, returning to Bereishit is like returning home.
This last Monday morning, on the eve of Simchat Torah, the twenty remaining hostages finally came home. The tears, the joy is indescribable. After 24-months of war, we may finally have an opportunity to start again. Even knowing the path ahead will still be hard, let us embrace the challenges that await. After all, how much harder can it be than what we just endured? As I said on Yom Kippur, to a good year, a peaceful year, a more hopeful year ahead.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Alex