Category: T’shuva

New Year 2026

We celebrate two things—the end of the old year and the beginning of the new year. The new year is filled with hope and anticipation of what might be. Last year showed us yet again that things don’t always go as planned—there is good, there is bad—it is a mix. But whatever has happened is now in our past. Those things cannot be changed, but we might learn from them as we move forward.

I am not much for resolutions unless they are real commitments. This is a time to reflect on what is truly important to us, the values at our core, and how they are challenged or reinforced by our life lessons and experiences. What are they, and how can we live them out more fully? If a relationship is important to you, what can you do to nurture it? If being healthier is important to you, what can you do to support the process?

These questions help us identify our commitments, and then we can take the steps to make them a reality. The truth is, life often gets in the way, as we learned from years past. Busy schedules or tiffs can keep us from calling our friend, and the temptation of that cake slice can overwhelm the desire to maintain a diet. Our commitments can help us pick up the phone or put down the fork.

May the coming year be one of fulfillment and meaning, however you may define it. And may you find the power to make it so.

Wishing you a Happy, Healthy New Year.

 

Psalm 27 is added to our prayers during Elul and through the chagim.

We prepare ourselves for this special time with the prayer that we might dwell in the house of the Divine.  May your experience this season be meaningful, filled with reflection, repentance, and renewal.

Thanks to Chava Mirel for this beautiful rendition of Psalm 27:4.

Shabbat Shalom

#BringThemHomeNow

 

Shabbat Shalom

In our welcome of Shabbat, we share Ana BeKoach, a prayer asking we be released from the spiritual, emotional, and physical things that bind us.  It invokes the power of God’s name through Jewish mysticism.  In this troubling time, may we be freed.

Shir Appeal shares its acapella rendition with us here.

Shabbat Shalom

Where do we go from here?

The situation is fluid, and things are different from what we thought.  We have come to an inflection point, and what happens next depends entirely on how boldly we are willing to consider acting.

It is relatively easy to kill people but almost impossible to kill an idea.  Hamas has shown it knows no limit to the extent it will go to achieve the dual goals of killing Jews and eliminating Israel.

Israel thought it could manage the situation, lulling Hamas through what are essentially bribes and occasionally “mowing the lawn,” that obscene notion that periodically Israel engages in a military action to repress the militants.  This is similar to blowing on the boiling pot of pasta to keep it from boiling over.

The pot boiled over, and the ensuing pogrom was devastating.

Furthermore, Hamas retains substantial control.  The delay in releasing hostages on Day 2 of the truce showed their continued capacity to manage the situation psychologically.  Equally distressing was the celebration in the West Bank because the jubilant welcome home to the released prisoners was met with Hamas flags instead of only Palestinian flags.  A weak Palestinian Authority is losing control, and Hamas is ascendant.

And an uncontrolled group of Jewish right-wing extremists is engaging in violence against Palestinians that could only be understood as ethnic cleansing of the territory.

The situation is dire and requires bold action.

Strangely, a scene from The Godfather movie keeps running in my mind.  As Don Corleone grieves his murdered son, he looks up and, from the depth of his pain, declares the killing has to stop.  Peace is required even though vengeance courses through the blood. For us, this is that moment.

The killing must stop.  Recognition by each side is required, and we must forge a way forward. Is Israel able to do this, and if so, who is courageous enough to make that declaration and commitment?

We’ve learned that ignoring the other side and building walls is not a solution.  Walls cannot be high enough or thick enough to provide security.  We also cannot do it alone.

Many are vested in maintaining the status quo of hostility, hatred, and turmoil. But others have a clear interest in seeing peace in the region.  These nations need to join in the effort to work with Palestinians and Israelis to build trust and an infrastructure of hope. Together, we can realize a vision of dignity and security for both people who claim a right to the region. And those who envision a future for their children to live in a world without violence must be convinced we are all committed to their future.  Building trust out of the rubble of destruction and pain that now exists will take time.   But now is the time to start.

The killing must end, and now is the time to start on a path forward.

 

 

Welcome to the Third Act

Welcome to the Third Act

Turning 64, I embraced the idea that I have begun the third act of the play that is my life.  At 32 years per act, that gets me to 96 years old before the final curtain.   Allowing for an epilogue and perhaps an encore, I get a bit more, but likely I will take my final bow sometime before that mystical 120 years that we wish for one another.

So, Rosh Hashanah is an even more “ crucial new beginning”, as I ponder the question, “If granted the gift of life, what will I do with it to make it count?” For third acts are about resolution and bringing things together.

The High Holidays are a time for reflection. In my work, a reimagination of the Ethical Will, I share that reflection is an important tool.  Reflection is about checking in to see if we are on the right path, and making the necessary adjustments.

These adjustments can be one of two types:  Adjustments can be made to get back on the path from which we have strayed, or adjustments can be more radical, a realization that we need to walk a new path on the way to something different than we originally intended.

This introspection is a core message of the High Holidays.

When I look back in about 32 years from now, I hope to see a life well lived- not in its glory or material accomplishments, but in its meaning and human connection.  It is in the choices I make today and the things I do now, that will determine whether I reach the goal of a life well-lived.

I hope that each of us uses this time of the High Holidays to find our path for the coming year, and then walking it.  Wishing everyone G’mar Chatima Tova, to be sealed in the Book of Life for a happy healthy New Year.