During the Jewish New Year, people often greet one another with the blessing “Shanah Tovah”, literally “a good year”. The word “good” in Hebrew is tov. Interestingly, this is the same word we repeatedly see in Genesis: “God saw that it was good.” In the Bible, “good” does not mean merely “not bad” or “acceptable,” but something that aligns with God’s will, something that brings forth life and order.
In other words, when Jewish people wish you a “good year,” they are really blessing you to live within God’s creation and blessing. And when God declares “It is good”, He is proclaiming I love this world and I love you. At the start of a new year, we naturally ask, “Will this year go smoothly?” But Scripture turns the question around and asks us “Are you willing to let your life become ‘good’ in God’s eyes?”
It is also meaningful that during the Jewish New Year, the Book of Ecclesiastes is read. In this book, “good” carries a tone of maturity and honesty. The Teacher says, “A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God” (Ecclesiastes 2:24). Here, “good” is not about grand plans or spiritual achievements. Rather, it is about learning to receive God’s present grace even in a limited life, one that may at times feel fleeting or empty. In other words, God loves us not only in life’s major moments, but also in an ordinary meal and on a completely ordinary day.
As we celebrate the Lunar New Year, may we take time to reflect on God’s grace and love, given to us little by little. And as Ecclesiastes reminds us, may we live well and give thanks in the fear of the Lord. May we learn to be still during busyness, to trust even when life feels fleeting, and to recognize “tov” in the ordinary. Such a year will surely be a truly “good” year in God’s eyes.
Pastor Ken Yeung