Prayers for Peace and Redemption Echo at Santa Monica Pier as Rabbi Levitansky Leads Rosh Hashanah Service

In a heartfelt gathering at the Santa Monica Pier on September 3, 2024, more than a dozen members of Chabad in Simcha Monica came together to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Rabbi Levitansky led the ceremony, beginning with a powerful shofar blast, marking the start of the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The shofar, a ram's horn, is a symbolic call to reflection, prayer, and repentance, with the sound echoing across the ocean, uniting the community in faith and tradition.

"This year, we've experienced events that none of us could have imagined," Rabbi Levitansky said, addressing the congregation. "Our minds and hearts are with our brothers and sisters in Israel. The energy created by our unity here affects the world at large, especially the land of Israel and its people."

The group also offered prayers for the safe return of hostages and for the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. "May God have mercy on them and bring them from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from slavery to redemption," Rabbi Levitansky recited, with the crowd responding in unison, "Amen."

The ceremony continued with the Tashlich service, where participants cast pieces of bread into the ocean, symbolically casting away their sins. "This ancient custom comes from a verse in the prophets," Rabbi Levitansky explained, "which says, 'I will cast away in the depths of the sea all of their sins.' This symbolic act reminds us that we are starting the new year fresh, casting away our misdeeds."

During the Tashlich, Rabbi Levitansky reflected on the significance of gathering near water, particularly where fish swim. "Fish never close their eyes, and we pray that God's eyes never close on us. Fish multiply in great numbers, as we hope to see blessings multiply in our lives, and they cannot be seen, which protects them from the evil eye—just as we ask to be protected."

As the shofar’s notes faded and the bread disappeared into the waves, the community shared a sense of renewal and hope. The ceremony closed with the singing of prayers for peace. Rabbi Levitansky also offered a wish for the new year, "May this year bring the wonders of the Messianic Redemption, and may we all return to the land of Israel and live in peace together."

The Rosh Hashanah ceremony at the Santa Monica Pier was a deeply meaningful event, creating a space for reflection, unity, and hope, as the Jewish community welcomed the new year of 5785.