The Jewish New Year
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a protest against indifference. On this day we are summoned to recognize that our lives are utterly undeserved and fragile, yet unbearably precious. The shofar’s cry shakes us from apathy and calls us to live with astonishment and gratitude, to acknowledge that our lives convey upon us the heavy responsibility of managing its gifts with care, with wonder, and with moral urgency.
1 Tishrei 5787 – 2 Tishrei 5787
Begins at Sundown on Friday, September 11, 2026
Ends at Nightfall on Sunday, September 13, 2026
In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur are a protest against the most dangerous of all human character traits: the curse of indifference—they are a protest against taking life for granted.
The Curse of Indifference
In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
Our greatest challenge is that, living under miraculous conditions through no merit of our own, we fall prey to the curse of indifference--indifference to the miserable and impossible situation of our fellow humans who are threatened by suffering and death.
It is Divine humor that tells us to live with absurdity, and supreme holy witticism that asks us to live with laughter. We are asked to enjoy the journey and realize that there is no arrival.
The blowing of the shofar proves that we can surpass ourselves. On our own, using only our vocal cords, we are unable to produce this sound—a terrifying, awesome, penetrating resonance. This is a sound that can cause us to break down, pick ourselves up again, and transform ourselves into new individuals.
Every ordinary act should be turned into a kind of mitzvah, a spiritual challenge, making it a dignified encounter with God. On Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur we are reminded that our deeds must redeem God’s presence and rescue Him from oblivion. In doing the finite we must be able to perceive the infinite.
Is Judaism Your Supreme Passion?
As we approach Rosh Hashana and ask ourselves what we should do to become better Jews— not just as individuals but also as a community—we must realize the need to change our attitudes and not just our deeds.
In Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur by Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo
To be given the opportunity to do teshuvah is an enormous privilege. It is a joy to be able to say I am sorry. In fact, it is one of the great gifts that Judaism has given mankind: the knowledge that we can change.
Once upon a time, in a large, gloomy palace high on a mountain, where the night wind howled outside its massive walls, there lived a king—a real one. He had a beard as long as a silver waterfall and a voice that boomed like thunder. A king needs no more.
Nicolaes Maes’ "Old Woman at Prayer" is a profound reminder of what we should strive for on Rosh Hashana.
A Matter of Seduction
What does the haftarah of Shabbat Shuvah mean when it suggests that we should use words of seduction at the time of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur to aid in the process of teshuva? Why should we utter words that are not entirely truthful?