Rosh Hashanah Reflection: Purpose, Creation, Tikkun Olam & the Meaning of Life

In this brief Rosh Hashanah message, Dr. Sherman Silber reflects on the Jewish New Year as more than a religious holiday or celebration. He presents it as an opportunity for people of any background to consider creation, purpose, and humanity’s responsibility to improve the world.

Silber begins with memories of fishing in Alaska, where the vast wilderness made the wonder of existence feel immediate and impossible to ignore. He recalls a conversation with his late friend Phil Donahue, who described himself as deeply impressed by the universe. For Silber, that sense of awe is central to recognizing the presence of God and appreciating the extraordinary fact of conscious life.

He uses humor to illustrate humanity’s uncertainty about faith, telling the story of a man hanging from a cliff who asks God for help but hesitates when told to trust and let go. The story introduces a larger question: if life has a purpose, how do we understand our role within creation?

Drawing on the biblical phrase “which God created to make,” Silber explains the Jewish concept of tikkun olam—the responsibility to help repair and improve an intentionally unfinished world. Rather than expecting perfection, people are called to work alongside God through meaningful actions and good deeds.

Silber concludes by reading a poem inspired by fish struggling constantly against the current in an Alaskan river. The fish become a metaphor for human life: always moving, always tested, and always hoping for rest. Even when they rise toward what appears to be another world, they are returned to the current.

For Silber, this captures the meaning of Rosh Hashanah. Life continually presents challenges, but those challenges give people the opportunity to act with purpose, do good, and help make the world better.