September 4, 2026
We have reached the last quarter of the moon’s cycle before the next new moon. I know this because Rosh Hashanah is one week away, and that is when the new moon begins. The cycle reminds me that the holidays are approaching quickly. As a rabbi, my ducks need to be in a row to be prepared to lead our congregation through the holidays. As a Jew and a human being, the question I have to be asking myself is: Have I done the soulful and sacred work I need to do to prepare for the holidays? Sermons, prayer introductions, and programming are one thing and are certainly important. Just as important is the soulful work I try to do to become a better human being.
While the focus on this work is heightened during this season, the reality of the nature of this work is that we need to be doing it year-round. We cannot simply cram all the change we need to make into one month.
When it comes to the High Holy Days, there is a piece of liturgy that has always challenged me. It is called the Un’taneh Tokef and reminds us, “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed, who shall live and who shall die…” As a child, listening to the introduction to the prayer in Gates of Repentance, I was struck by the story of Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, who was tortured and died for being a Jew. As I remember it, the story tells us he shared these words as he was tortured. When we’re young, our minds only allow us to understand texts literally. Metaphor remains a mystery to us. As I grew older, I shifted to the conclusion of the prayer, which reminds us that repentance, prayer, and tzedakah ma’avirin the harshness of the decree. Gates of Repentance translated ma’avirin as avert. Mishkan T’filah translates it as transcend. As a child limited to the literal meaning, I thought to myself, all I have to do is those three things and I can nullify anything God had recorded in the book. As an adult, I came to understand that the decree is not that we will live or die, but rather that we will face significant challenges in our lives. If repentance, prayer, and tzedakah are part of the way we live our lives, then coping with those challenges will be easier. The blow will be softer.
It takes practice to incorporate those behaviors into our daily lives. Any behavioral change requires commitment and intention. Earlier this year, I spent several weeks reflecting on the Mussar movement and the different middot, or virtues, that fill our souls. In advance of the High Holy Days, the Mussar Institute published a calendar in which each month focuses on a different value. As you look through the Mussar Institute’s calendar, you will see values and daily exercise recommendations that will help teach us to live by these values.
The month of September begins with chesed, kindness, and teaches us to make a call, visit, or send a message to someone as an act of kindness. This season is the foundation of our year. If we can build that foundation by centering chesed in our lives, it will become a practice that impacts friends, family, and neighbors for the better. Such acts of kindness draw us closer to others and, by extension, closer to God.
I am going to put this calendar in my office. I hope you will consider finding a place for it in your home or office too. If we live by these values, then perhaps the world we encounter will become a more sacred place for us all.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner