Our Own Royal Visit! Shabbat Shalom & Shana Tova!

Princes, pomp, and pageantry filled the headlines this week as President Donald Trump was received at Windsor Castle by King Charles III. It was a moment in history, the first time a U.S. President has been invited for a second visit.
But a state visit is more than gilded castles and ceremonial splendour. It is about standing in public, affirming relationships, and projecting values. Leaders and nations stand before each other, cementing their bond, just as we are called to stand before G-d.
This week’s Parsha, Nitzavim, opens with the same theme of standing. Moses gathers the entire people, leaders and elders, children and strangers, the wood-chopper and the water-drawer, declaring: “You are all standing this day before the Lord your G-d.” Every person matters. No one is excluded. No one is insignificant. Every soul counts.
With Rosh Hashanah only days away, we are each invited to a royal visit of our own. The proverbial red carpet is rolled out and the majestic gates of heaven invite us to enter into a holy banquet of blessings, the High Holidays. We are all welcomed by the King of Kings. And unlike an earthly king, our royal visit is not once, or twice, but every year. It is our annual G-d given opportunity to unite in prayer, in faith, and in redemption.
This year has been one of the most challenging for Am Yisroel. From the grief and fear following October 7 to the daily pain of waiting, praying, and working for the return of our hostages, our hearts are raw. We stand before G-d this Rosh Hashanah with tears in our eyes, pleading for healing, for strength, for peace and for the return of every single Jewish soul in Gaza. They are all our brothers and sisters, soldiers and hostages alike.
The Torah reminds us that challenges are not meant to break us, but to build us. When G-d wanted to make David a king, He did not give him a crown, He gave him Goliath. When He wanted to make Joseph a leader, He did not give him a palace, He gave him prison. When He wanted to elevate Moses, He did not give him a stage, He gave him a wilderness. When He wanted to make Esther a queen, He gave her a crisis.
It is precisely the shards of our broken hearts that G-d takes to prepare us for the greatest heights. As we now stand on the threshold of the new year, 5786, may G-d fill our deepest voids with all that we pray for. May He transform the scars our souls carry into never ending joy and blessing.
Since the very conception of our people, we have known trials and tribulations. But we are ready for what Hashem has created us for, the ultimate purpose of creation. May this be the year we merit the greatest blessing of all: the return of our hostages, peace for our people, and the ultimate joy of the coming of Moshiach.
From our Central family to yours, we wish you a year of peace, joy, prosperity, and good health. May all your homes be filled with the sweetness of honey and the warmth of community.
Shabbat Shalom & Shana Tova,
Rabbi Levi & Chanie Wolff