‘A Sweet Year’ (A Rosh Hashanah story)
This appeared in a book of Yiddish holiday stories by the children’s author Levin Kipnis, published in 1961
Courtesy of the Yiddish Book Center
Translated by Miriam Udel. Read the original Yiddish version.
Way high up and far away, where heaven touches earth, New Year and Bygone Year met in passing.
Bygone Year — old and weak, face wrinkled and clothing tattered, hunched over — made her way down the mountain.
And New Year — young and handsome, dressed in purples and blues, crowned in gold, slender and proud, climbed up the mountain.
Four angels, one in each direction, escorted him.
***
New Year greeted Bygone Year, calling out, “Shalom, my older sister! Why are you groaning and sighing?”
Bygone Year answered, “I moan over yidishe tsores, the sorrows that Jews endure the world over.”
And just like that, they had to part, because suddenly, the sun was setting.
In the blink of an eye, Bygone Year had disappeared, and New Year was left standing alone.
He stayed there a moment deep in thought, concentrating, and then he set off on his way.
***
Walking along, he came to a vineyard with grapes: flourishing vines twisted as they climbed in rows up the mountain and stretched out their green branches to welcome the New Year.
“Shone toyve! Shone toyve!” cried the vineyard. “Come to us, you, happy, good year!”
“Shalom, dear, beloved vineyard,” New Year replied. “But how can my heart be joyful when it’s so hard and bitter for Jews the world over?”
“Just look at my bunches of grapes,” the vineyard said. “They’re ripe, clear, and full of sweet juice. Go ahead and clip the best of them, to sweeten the bitterness of Jewish life.”
Two angels cut off a beautiful bunch of grapes and together carried it on a pole.
***
New Year walked on.
He came to a large, fragrant orchard. Its hundreds of trees raised their branches like thousands of hands waving their greeting to the New Year.
“Shone toyve! Shone toyve!” called out the orchard. “We’ve been waiting for you, year of happy good fortune!”
New Year replied, “Shalom, shalom, exquisite orchard! But how can I be happy when it’s hard and bitter for Jews the world over?”
The orchard said, “Among my green branches hang golden pomegranates with crimson crowns and rosy cheeks; they’re ripe, and each one is full of 613 juicy seeds. They’re all beautiful and sweet; take some to sweeten Jewish life.”
The third angel filled up a basket with pomegranates and lifted it onto his head.
***
New Year walked on further still.
He was greeted by a beehive in a field of wildflowers, and an entire army of yellow-gold bees buzzing round and round. Their large eyes sparkled and their glass-thin wings gleamed.
The bees encircled New Year with a song, “B-b-b-b-b-bee blessed, New Year! B-b-b-b-b-bee blessed, sweet year!”
“Shalom, shalom, quick and industrious bees!” New Year replied. But how can I be sweet when it’s hard and bitter for Jews the world over?”
The bees said, “We fly from flower to flower, sucking sweet, precious nectar, working from dawn to dusk, chewing and kneading to prepare honey cakes. Take our honey to sweeten Jewish life.”
So the fourth angel shouldered a jug of honey.
***
Singing and joyful, New Year pressed on.
On the right, an angel carried a jug of honey;
On the left, another angel carried a basket of pomegranates;
Up ahead, a pair of angels carried a bunch of grapes on a pole.
And when three stars appeared in the sky, New Year spread his gentle blue wings over the world.
The angels dispersed over all the festive houses and distributed the sweets. That evening, Jewish families sat around their tables, which had been set with all that was good. They tasted the grapes and the pomegranates and dipped white challah in the golden honey and exclaimed:, “Shone toyve umesuke — may you have a good, sweet year!”
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