While the idea of a heavenly ledger goes back to the Bible, the “Book of Life” as we know it is found in the Talmud. The Talmud teaches “three books are opened in heaven on Rosh Hashanah: one for the fully wicked, one for the fully righteous, and one for the intermediate. The fully righteous are immediately inscribed in the Book of Life, the fully wicked in the Book of Death and the fate of those in between is held in abeyance until Yom Kippur.” (Rosh Hashanah 16b, Babylonian Talmud)
The lesson for Rosh Hashanah is that we can improve upon who we are. We can come closer to our potential. We are to imagine God as judge and ruler, on the throne of justice. God looks at what we have done, our ledger, and then decides our fate. A closer look at the High Holy Days liturgy notes we have signed that ledger. We also look at what we have done.
The idea of a Book of Life, then, is not only for God but for each of us. May we be inspired to do what we can to reach our potential and be inscribed in the Book of Life for a year filled with blessings.
— Rabbi David Woznica