It is customary to give good signs for the name of the New Year: 5779, תשע"ט. These signs are both a blessing and guiding lights on our paths:
תשע"ט- Tav, Shin, Ayin, Tet, 5779 is an acronym for: - T’hei Shnat Ayin Tovah, /It will be a year of a good eye. Each of us must look at others with a good eye, with boundless love of Israel. We must also love those who are not in our close circles and who are completely different than we are. When we look at someone with a good, loving eye, we discover that every person has a unique point of light that he adds to the complete picture of the Nation of Israel.
תשע"ט - Tav, Shin, Ayin, Tet, 5779 is an acronym for: - T’hei Shnat Aitzah Tovah/ It will be a year of good advice. The best advice that we can give – ourselves and others – is to come close to G-d through the Torah and the mitzvot, as the Zohar writes, that all the commandments are ‘good pieces of advice’.
“Hillel said, be of the students of Aharon, love peace and pursue peace, love people and bring them near to the Torah.” The first step is love of Israel with a positive approach – a good eye. The next step is the good advice – to bring them near to the Torah.
In the prophecy of the redemption it says: “And I will return your judges as at the beginning and your advisors as at the start”. Instead of “judges and police” we will have “judges and advisors” – because the fulfillment of the Torah will not be coming from a place of external coercion, but rather, from a place of desire and internal conviction that this is indeed the very best advice.
תשע"ט- Tav, Shin, Ayin, Tet, 5779 is an acronym for T’hei Shnat AiT / It will be a year of the pen, as is written in Psalms, “My tongue is a speedy pen of the scribe”. In our generation, all is done speedily. The media is “a speedy pen of the scribe”. The disadvantage of speed is that things done speedily tend to be superficial and shallow. We, however, must advantageously apply this speediness to quickly bring the light of Torah and faith in God to everyone – both to Jews, wherever they may be, and to the nations of the world. In this way, we will merit the fulfillment of the prayer for the coming of the Mashiach, “May You speedily cause the plant of David Your servant to flourish”.
May we merit to return to God and bring the redemption near, as in the words of Maimonides: “The Torah has already promised that ultimately Israel will return to God at the end of their exile and they will immediately be redeemed.”