Wishes for the New Year 5787

As we prepare to enter the Jewish new year, there is a tradition of looking to the numerical value of the coming year for spiritual insight and intention. This practice uses gematria, the ancient Jewish system that assigns numerical values to Hebrew letters, to connect the Hebrew year with a biblical verse or phrase of the same value. First found in classic rabbinic literature, gematria later became an important tool of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism, for uncovering hidden layers of meaning in Torah and sacred text.

Gematria is a tool to find hidden connections and deeper meanings in biblical and rabbinic texts. Each letter in the 22-letter Hebrew alphabet represents a specific number. The first ten letters equal 1 through 10, the next letters represent tens (20 to 100), and the final letters represent hundreds (100 to 400). To find the value of a word, you add together the numerical values of each individual letter. Commentators and mystics teach that when two different words or phrases share the same numerical total, interpret this as a sign of a deeper, underlying link between their meanings. One common example is the Hebrew word Chai (life). The word chai is spelled with the letters chet (8) and yod (10), totaling 18. Because 18 represents life, it is considered a lucky number in Judaism, and gifts are often given in multiples of 18.

The custom of indicating the Jewish year with a biblical phrase can be found on the title page of sacred books, and on gravestones. Today, as a way of enriching the meaning of the current (or upcoming) year, Jews often include a biblical verse equal to the new Jewish year on b/mitzvah or wedding invitations, in correspondence, even email. You might also use the verse as a phrase for meditation or reflection as we approach the new year and throughout the year.

The new year that we will welcome on the 1st of Tishre (the evening of September 11,2026) is תשפ״ז 5787. It is written numerically using the letters Tav (400), Shin (300), Pey (80), and Zayin (7) (omitting 5000).

Here are two of many biblical verses equal to 5787 that I intend to use personally as meditative prayer phrases to connect with sacred presence and positive energy throughout the coming year:

In the darkness they saw great light (Isaiah 9:1)

You will have strength when you walk on the way (I Samuel 28:22)

As we carry these blessings into the new year, may they become more than beautiful words or heartfelt intentions. May they call us to action: to seek light even in places of darkness, to walk our path with strength and courage, and to raise the divine sparks hidden in the physical world, in our relationships, and in the ordinary choices of daily life. With every act of kindness, justice, healing, and hope, we reveal holiness and add light to the world. Let us step into 5787 together—as a community committed to bringing more light, compassion, and sacred purpose into the year ahead.

Wishing you and your loved ones L’shanah Tovah Tikatevu v’tikateimu,

Rabbi Audrey S. Pollack

Filed under: Rabbi's Message

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