Message on the Observance of the Jewish High Holy Days

Nancy and I welcome the observance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as an opportunity to send special greetings to the Jewish people and to wish you every health and happiness for the coming year.

According to Jewish legend, "Three books are opened on Rosh Hashanah: one for the wholly righteous, one for the wholly wicked, and one for the intermediates. The wholly righteous are at once inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life; the wholly wicked are at once inscribed and sealed in the Book of Death; and the intermediates are suspended from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur." However, even the most severe decree can be averted by repentance, acts of kindness and prayer.

As the Jewish New Year commences, Jews throughout the world will begin a period of introspection and atonement and a reexamination of their personal relationship with God. The stirring sound of the Shofar will echo in prayer services everywhere, calling out to all of the Jewish Faith. Nancy and I join with you in the spirit of this solemn holiday and in your prayers for the New Year.

Our heartfelt wish is that at the conclusion of the Days of Atonement, each of you may be inscribed for a good year in the Book of Life and that we may work together to build a world of peace for our children and freedom for all mankind.

RONALD REAGAN