When I was a child, I remember the abandoned farmer’s field at the end of our street. It was one of the last remaining fields that hadn’t been built up by home developers. That would happen years later. In the field, my childhood friends and I biked, ran, and jumped. It was our own backwoods except there weren’t many trees. It was an old soybean field. At the bottom of a small hill there was a stream and it was always our job to cross it no matter what. We would throw a piece of wood or a leftover tree limb from one bank to the other. It was never long enough. We’d inch our way onto the bridge we created and then dare each other to jump to the other side. Sometimes we made it.

            Such beginnings and ends are not unfamiliar to us. In Torah, we come to a juncture when we reach the end of a book of Torah, and anticipate the start of the next one. If Torah is a veritable Tree of Life, then standing between two books is like standing at the end of the bridge before jumping to the next portion of dry land. In the gap, we say, “Hazak, hazak, v’nit-cha-zeik” Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen each other. Then we’re prepared to begin the next book of Torah, just like we’re prepared to take our next step on dry ground and with firm footing.

            There are few ends that don’t require us to take a leap to the next beginning. It can be a leap of strength, or a leap of courage, or even a leap of faith. Then we jump. We land in a new city, or a new job, or a new relationship. And, we keep on walking. Our ability to leap and thrive where we land may depend on what we bring with us. It might be old habits, old friends and old ideas. They might be just what we need to bridge the gap successfully. But, it might also be new habits, new friends, and new ideas. Our strength will come from what we decide is important to take with us and what we must leave behind.

            As the first day of 2008 nears, see it as a milepost that signals a new beginning. There is a wedding this weekend. It will be the start of a new marriage. There are family members or friends in the hospital or at home recuperating. This will be the year, we pray, for better health. There are new babies. This is their first year of life. There are deaths of loved ones. We’re still learning how to gain strength from our memories of them as the year unfolds. There are new jobs. New homes. New challenges. How do we do it all?

            Hazak. Be strong. Find the strengths of the past. They’re the lessons and models that have served you well. They provided you meaning and success. They still can.

            Hazak. Be strong. There are sources of strength all around you. Don’t go it alone. There are people, organizations and your congregation ready to support your next steps.

            V’nitchazeik. Let us strengthen each other. We need each other. Let go of grudges. Let go of past hurts. Embrace family and friends. Seize new opportunities.

            The tree limb my friends and I laid across the stream provided only a partial way over the water to dry land. The rest of the way was built on confidence we found in each other and then in ourselves. You never heard so much cheering when one boy and then the next jumped over the water and kept on running.

            Keep on running. Bring with you into 2008 great expectations for greater joy, health, love and peace. From my desk and my home to yours, Shabbat Shalom and happy new year 2008.

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