Use this time to improve the world around you

In just over four weeks, we will gather together at local synagogues and around dining room tables to start this year‘s High Holy Days. Not since the mid-1940s, following the Holo­caust and the establishment of the State of Israel, has a High Holy Day season held so much weight, im­portance… and uncertainty. That is where we find ourselves leading up to this year’s holiday season.

 

 

Just think about it for a mo­ment… Not only have we been ex­periencing a heightened culture of hate, including an increase in the amount of antisemitism over year the last several years, but the one anniversary of the October 7 at­tack in Israel by Hamas falls during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, this year. Let that sink in for a minute.

 

I think it is safe to assume that at least one of each of our com­munity’s rabbis’ sermons will have something to do with this event, similar to when Senator Joe Lieb­erman was chosen to be Al Gore’s Vice Presidential running mate back in 2000 since it was the first Jewish American to be nominated on a major party’s ticket… it was a big deal!

 

And yet, even with this as a backdrop for the Jewish communi­ty, we will soon be entering 5785 … a year filled with uncertainty but also hope.

 

Previously in this column, I have talked about the importance of using the several weeks before Rosh Hashanah to reflect on how we, as individuals, conducted ourselves during the previous 11 months. I think it’s important to reiterate that today, especially when we have such “big issues” taking effect that we are grappling with and having to confront as a result of the fallout of the October 7 attacks.

 

Over the years, I have learned that often, when there are signif­icant issues that feel “TOO BIG” to deal with, or more specifically their too big for us to have any say in its outcome, we get dis­couraged and think that since our individual actions won’t bring about an effective or large enough change, people decide not to try. However, by taking this approach, we are perpetuating the issue. That is what our tradition teaches us in Pirkei Avot 2:16 – “You are not required to finish the work; you neither are you permitted to desist from it.

 

I have shared this before and used it in a similar context. Still, it continues to be relevant as we continue to be confronted with significant challenges that we, as individuals, cannot possibly overcome by ourselves. But I find that in these moments, by “doing something,” we can feel that our work has meaning… even if it only helps out a little. Plus, our actions are something we DO have control over, and while we might not solve the situation, we can try to move the needle a little bit forward.

 

As we enter the month of Elul, I encourage you to try to make a difference in these last several days of 5784 by taking intention­al actions to improve someone’s situation.