Shabbat Table Talk from the desk of Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
Aug 21-22, 2026 • 9 Elul 5786 • Ki Teitsei (Deut 21-25)
Check out our countdown timers to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
In contrast to last week's expansive (25-year) timeline, this week we're going to feel the compression of time.
If you clicked on the link above, then you know exactly how many days, hours, and minutes until Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Without that countdown in mind, try asking this at your table: On a scale of 1-10, how much are you looking forward to the Holidays? Be honest.
Most people enjoy Pesach. I don't know anyone who doesn't love Chanukah. But how many people truly savor the High Holidays as opposed to getting through them as a necessary ritual?
And if you ask someone from the latter group what's lacking, they'll point to the rabbi, or the cantor, or the synagogue, or their family—there's always someone to blame.
Shouldn't I be able to just show up? Isn't it the rabbi's/cantor's/synagogues/husband's/parents'/host's job to entertain me?
Here's a friendly suggestion: don’t outsource your Judaism! Don’t expect the shul, or the rabbi, or anyone else to make it meaningful—you make it meaningful. Whether or not you even go to shul, don’t make excuses for not having a meaningful holiday—make it meaningful.
How? For starters, try out our new book, pictured and linked above. Just came out this week. You've never seen anything quite like it. But bear in mind that while sharing is not unfeasible everyone in the family is likely going to want their own copy. It's also designed to fit snugly in the Rosh Hashanah gift basket alongside the jar of honey. Or even replace the honey? ("This year, I got you something sweet for your soul...")
And thanks to the marvels of modern publishing, it is simultaneously available at Amazon Canada, UK, Australia, Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, and more. So please, do a Jew a favor and share the links with everyone you love wherever they are.
Final question for your table: What's more important—beginning the year with tzedakah and acts of kindness, or ending the year with tzedakah and acts of kindness?
May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.
Shabbat Shalom
Check out our countdown timers to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
In contrast to last week's expansive (25-year) timeline, this week we're going to feel the compression of time.If you clicked on the link above, then you know exactly how many days, hours, and minutes until Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Without that countdown in mind, try asking this at your table: On a scale of 1-10, how much are you looking forward to the Holidays? Be honest.
Most people enjoy Pesach. I don't know anyone who doesn't love Chanukah. But how many people truly savor the High Holidays as opposed to getting through them as a necessary ritual?
And if you ask someone from the latter group what's lacking, they'll point to the rabbi, or the cantor, or the synagogue, or their family—there's always someone to blame.
Shouldn't I be able to just show up? Isn't it the rabbi's/cantor's/synagogues/husband's/parents'/host's job to entertain me?
Here's a friendly suggestion: don’t outsource your Judaism! Don’t expect the shul, or the rabbi, or anyone else to make it meaningful—you make it meaningful. Whether or not you even go to shul, don’t make excuses for not having a meaningful holiday—make it meaningful.
How? For starters, try out our new book, pictured and linked above. Just came out this week. You've never seen anything quite like it. But bear in mind that while sharing is not unfeasible everyone in the family is likely going to want their own copy. It's also designed to fit snugly in the Rosh Hashanah gift basket alongside the jar of honey. Or even replace the honey? ("This year, I got you something sweet for your soul...")
And thanks to the marvels of modern publishing, it is simultaneously available at Amazon Canada, UK, Australia, Sweden, Italy, France, Spain, and more. So please, do a Jew a favor and share the links with everyone you love wherever they are.
Final question for your table: What's more important—beginning the year with tzedakah and acts of kindness, or ending the year with tzedakah and acts of kindness?
May you be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.
Shabbat Shalom
