Happy New Year !

יְה'—יִסְפֹּר, בִּכְתוֹב עַמִּים

“G-d will count in the register (calendar) of nations… " (Psalms 87:6)

A New Year Greeting with Deeper Roots

Rabbi Sholom Hecht of Hecht’s bookstore on Coney Island Avenue in Flatbush, Brooklyn, was privileged to have had many private talks with the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

On one such occasion, Rabbi Hecht spoke with the Rebbe on the morning of January 1. At some point during the talk, the Rebbe wished him a “Happy New Year.” Rabbi Hecht was taken aback.

The Rebbe then told him that Rabbi Levi Yitzchok of Berdichev used to tell his congregants “Happy New Year”—and that it is rooted in Tehillim 87:6, where it says: “Hashem Yispor Bichsov Amim…” — “Hashem will count in the register (calendar) of nations…”

Takeaway

Even a “secular” date can become a moment of avodah—when it’s connected to a pasuk and used as a reminder that Hashem “counts” time, people, and purpose.