By Betzy Lynch in La Jolla, California
We stand at the threshold of a new year
with open hands and unsteady hearts.
We do not know what 2026 will bring.
The world feels fragile.
Truth is contested
Compassion is strained.
Fear speaks loudly,
and certainty feels rare.
And yet …we are here.
Teach us not to escape the moment,
but to meet it with integrity.
Not to cling to easy answers,
but to live faithfully inside the questions.
Jewish wisdom reminds us
Don’t just resolve… return.
Return to our values when the world pulls us toward numbness.
Return to one another when division feels simpler.
Return to You when hope feels distant
and cynicism feels safer.
Our fellow believers remind us faith is not prediction
Don’t attempt to predict the future … participate in shaping it.
Give us the courage to act without guarantees,
to choose goodness without “likes” or applause,
to repair what is broken even when the work feels small
and the wounds feel vast.
Release us from the burden of perfection.
Don’t demand perfection … commit to direction.
Help us take the next right step,
again and again,
even when progress is slow
and we stumble along the way.
Guard us against shallow optimism.
We know hope is not pretending everything is fine.
Don’t rely on optimism alone … pair hope with action.
Let our prayers move our feet.
Let our values shape our choices.
Let our love show up where it is most needed.
In a world that tells us faith is outdated,
make us brave enough to believe.
In a culture that rewards indifference,
make us stubborn in our care.
In a time that feels tenuous and unsteady,
make us a community who chooses meaning, responsibility, and light.
Bless this year, not with ease,
but with purpose.
Not with certainty,
but with strength to face what comes.
May we be renewed, not hardened.
Awakened, not overwhelmed.
Faithful, not because it is easy,
but because it is necessary.
As the last Shabbat of 2025 fades, may you find strength within yourself, faith, perhaps in G-d, and grace for others. Lord knows we need it. Happy New Year.
*
Betzy Lynch is the chief executive officer of the Lawrence Family JCC.