The High Holidays are Coming Up!

The month of Elul on the Hebrew calendar beckons in the High Holy Days, a time for introspection, teshuva (repentance), and spiritual renewal. This sacred season, which culminates with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, offers us an opportunity to look inward, examine our actions, and reset our path for the new year.

This year, Rosh Hashanah will take place from the evening of Monday, September 22nd through the evening of Tuesday or Wednesday, September 24th or 25th, depending on the denomination. Yom Kippur will fall on the evening of Wednesday, October 1st and will conclude the following night on Thursday, October 2nd.

The core message of the High Holy Days is that we can change. No matter our mistakes, we have the power to seek forgiveness and make amends. This isn’t just a personal journey, it’s also a communal one. We stand together, reflecting on our shared responsibility to repair the world (tikkun olam). At NECHAMA, this principle is at the very core of our work.

Rosh Hashanah: The Day of Sounding the Shofar

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a two-day festival marked by the sounding of the shofar, a ram’s horn. The piercing, soul-stirring sound of the shofar is a wake-up call, urging us to stir from our spiritual slumber and prepare for the challenges and opportunities of the year ahead.

It’s also a call to action. Just as the shofar’s blast inspires us to be better individuals, it also reminds us of our duty to step up and serve our communities. Our mission at NECHAMA is to answer that call by helping communities recover and rebuild after disasters.

Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement

Ten days after Rosh Hashanah, we observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. This is a day dedicated to fasting, prayer, and confession. Many Jewish people abstain from food and drink for over 25 hours, focusing entirely on spiritually connecting to God and to each other.

Yom Kippur is about seeking atonement for our sins, both against God and against one another. It’s a day to truly reflect on our shortcomings and commit to being better. The fast is not a punishment; it is a spiritual tool that allows us to quiet our bodies and amplify the voice of our souls. This quiet reflection gives us the clarity to identify where we can make the greatest impact in the year to come.

Tashlich: Casting Away Our Sins

A beautiful custom of the High Holy Days is Tashlich, which means “casting off.” Traditionally, on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah, we go to a body of flowing water and cast breadcrumbs into the water, symbolically representing the sins we wish to shed from the past year.

This powerful ritual is a physical way to embody the spiritual process of teshuva/repentance. By letting go of our past mistakes, we open ourselves up to a fresh start.

Click here to watch the video by our Project Director, Combating Antisemitism:
Tzlil McDonald about Tashlich!

From Casting Off to Cleaning Up: Introducing Reverse Tashlich

At NECHAMA, we believe our spiritual actions must lead to tangible, positive change in the world. This is why we are proud to introduce Reverse Tashlich.

Instead of casting something into the water, we are going to do the reverse: we will take trash out of it.

This act transforms the ritual from a purely symbolic one into a hands-on mitzvah (good deed). By cleaning up our waterways, we not only protect our environment but also embody the spirit of the High Holy Days. Just as we strive to cleanse our souls and hearts, we can work together to clean our world.

This is a direct application of our core mission to repair the world. At NECHAMA, we are committed to rebuilding communities and restoring hope. Reverse Tashlich is a powerful extension of this work, reminding us that every act of repair, no matter how small, contributes to the greater good.

Join Us for Reverse Tashlich in Asheville, NC!

If you live in or around the Asheville area, we invite you to join the NECHAMA team for a community river clean-up. Let’s start the new year by making a direct, positive impact on our local environment and showing our commitment to tikkun olam.

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