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Vayelech Moshe v'yidaber et-had'varim haeleh el-kol-yisrael…

And Moses went and spoke all of these words to the people of Israel. 

Deuteronomy 31:1

In his efforts to go and speak to every member of the people Moses is making an effort to demonstrate to them that they are not alone and they are a part of a larger community.  This is a fitting Parshah to take us into Yom Kippur. Just as the people of Israel were reminded by Moshe that they are not alone in this journey, we are also reminded that we are also not alone when we are Adat. It is our responsibility to seek out those who are alone and remind them that they are part of Kehillah Kedosha (our holy community).

There are many opportunities for us as a community to bridge the gap and reach out to those we may not know.  We are in the middle of the yamim noraim (the days of awe), a time where we are able to alter the fate of our year.  Our liturgy contains the line “On Rosh HaShanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed…”  Take the yamim noraim and really focus on seeking out those who are alone and invite them to be a part of our Kehila Kedosha. 

I would like to wish those of you who are fasting that it be an easy fast, and wish everyone a Shana Tova M'Tukah (a sweet and happy new year).

Shabbat Shalom!

Eric Chafetz