Are You Making Any New Year’s Resolutions?

I am ending this year with some fun. I do not make resolutions because I prefer to follow what God tells me, rather than the things I think I should be doing. I find things I decide to do are frequently are changed by God.

However, I know many people who do make resolutions, so I researched how often resolutions are successful.

• After 1 week – 75% are keeping their resolutions.
• After 2 weeks – 71%
• After 1 months – 64%
• After 6 months – 46%
• After 1 year – 6%

While I was browsing websites to see how other countries celebrate the New Year, I found an excellent article titled The Jewish Way to Make a New Year’s Resolution at myjewishlearning.com.

Below is an excerpt from the article:

Ancient Jewish wisdom offers some sage advice for helping us attain our goals. A Jewish life, anchored in the rhythms of the year, can help us set benchmarks and assess our progress. While the Gregorian calendar marks only one new year’s, the Jewish calendar marks four such occasions. The flow of the year is literally built on the tides of renewal.

Here is what our tradition says about the four new years:

The four new years are: On the first of Nisan, the new year for the kings and for the festivals; On the first of Elul, the new year for the tithing of animals; Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Shimon say, on the first of Tishrei. On the first of Tishrei, the new year for years, for the Sabbatical years and for the Jubilee years and for the planting and for the vegetables. On the first of Shevat, the new year for the trees according to the words of the House of Shammai; The House of Hillel says, on the fifteenth thereof.

Have a blessed New Year or Years as the case may be.