News and Updates Clergy Corner

I love how the new school year always falls close to the Jewish New Year. We find ourselves in a season of beginnings. We prep for the new school year with notebooks, sharpened pencils, uniforms, and hopeful expectations. At the same time, the Jewish calendar turns to a new year— Elul, the month before Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, calling us back to our best selves, inviting reflection, renewal, and return.

This overlap is more than a coincidence. Both new years—academic and spiritual—offer us the opportunity to set goals, make commitments, and start again. For our children, those goals might include learning multiplication tables or making new friends. We, too, might want to grow academically and in relationships. But I want to ask us to think about changes we want that might be even more transformative.

What kind of year do you want this to be?

So often, we make resolutions around fitness or productivity. But what if we made spiritual resolutions too? What if we set goals not just to do more, but to be more—more grounded, more present, more connected?

In the spirit of cheshbon hanefesh—taking stock of the soul—this season offers a chance to ask:

How can I participate more fully in Jewish life this year?

What practices, old or new, might help me grow spiritually?

How can I give back to my community in meaningful ways?

Where do I want to show up—with my presence, my time, and my heart?

Spiritual growth doesn’t always (or often) happen in leaps. It happens in small, steady steps: joining a Shabbat service even when it’s been a while, staying for a class that piques your interest, showing up to support a friend, or volunteering for a project that helps someone else feel seen.

The truth is, Jewish life is something we build—together. It’s not just what happens on the bimah or in the classroom. It’s what happens in the quiet moments of connection: in the pre-neg before services, in a conversation after Torah study, in lending a hand with Tikkun Olam, or in simply being part of something larger than ourselves.

So this year, I invite you to set one or two sacred goals—not out of guilt, but out of love. Not to prove anything, but to feel more alive. Whether it’s joining a committee, volunteering more, trying out a learning opportunity, attending High Holiday services with more intention, or exploring prayer with fresh eyes—choose something that nourishes your spirit and strengthens your ties to community.

You don’t need to do everything. But do something. Show up. Reach out. Lean in.

Together, let’s make this a year of connection, growth, and renewal—for each of us and our temple as a whole.

It’s a new year—may it be a sweet, fulfilling, and deeply meaningful year.