We find ourselves at a very unique and heightened time on the Jewish calendar. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year has just ended and we are now preparing for Yom Kippur, the day of atonement (beginning at sunset on Sunday, September 24). According to Jewish tradition, this time period between these two high holidays is an annual opportunity to take stock of our actions over the past year and to make amends with those who we may have hurt or wronged.
On Rosh Hashanah, we imagine a large scale up in the heavens where we are judged and our actions are weighed. Has the good that we have done over the past year outweighed the bad? Which way will the scales tip? Will we be written into the book of life on Rosh Hashanah for another year?
But wait! In our special High Holiday prayer books, it says: “On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur our fate is sealed.” It’s still not too late to help tip the scales in our favor. While the ink is still wet, we can rewrite our next chapter. These days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur present the opportunity for change and growth.
My wife Lori likes to think of this week not so much as a time of atonement, but more of an opportunity for inner reflection, a time to strive for “at one ment” with ourselves. Am I happy with the person who I have become? If not, what will I do differently in the coming year? Do the things that I say and the actions that I take align with the image of who I want to be? Am I the hero of my own story? Do I have the courage to admit my mistakes and reach out during this time to those I have hurt?
Who we are, how we act toward others, who we will become in the coming year isn’t foreordained and sealed in a book. We have the power within us to change how the story ends. What has come before does not need to dictate what will be as we turn a new page. As the ink dries between now and Yom Kippur, what actions will you commit to, to change the next chapter in your story?
May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a glorious New Year,
Jeffrey Lasday
Senior Chief of External Affairs
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
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If you are looking for a service to observe Yom Kippur this year, please click here to see the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s High Holiday Guide.