A Moment in Time: Rosh HaShanah — We Ascend

The useful part

Rosh HaShanah – We Ascend By Rabbi Zach Shapiro Published September 3, 2026 [additional-authors] Rabbi Zach Shapiro September 3, 2026 Dear all, Maya and Eli started first grade this week. Last weekend, Temple Akiba's religious school reopened its doors following summer recess. Next week, Jews throughout the world will welcome Rosh HaShanah—the Jewish New Year.

How it works

• Showing Up Editor's Picks Israel and the Internet Wars – A Professional Social Media Review Marion Haberman The Invisible Student: A Tale of Homelessness at UCLA and USC Tabby Refael.
• Print Issue: AKLA Rises | September 4, 2026 September 3, 2026 A local teen initiative to build Jewish pride expands to other cities and shows the enduring power of curiosity and Jewish identity.
• The more relevant question is how many people with comparable experience remain, how essential that expertise is and how easily it can be rebuilt.
• Working the Infinite into the Ordinary September 2, 2026 We live in an age with zero patience for uncertainty.
• Somehow, we still seem to know nothing about what it means to be here.

What to take from it

We take the experiences of the past year—our joys and disappointments, our mistakes and discoveries—and, if we are paying attention, transform them into wisdom that can guide each moment in time. May this Rosh HaShanah renew our souls, deepen our gratitude, sharpen our purpose, and give us the courage to imagine the people and the community we can yet become. Did we honor the traditions that connect us to those who came before—and to those who will come after us?

Example or evidence

• The New Year invites us to begin again—not by erasing who we have been, but by building upon who we have become.
• Ryan Torok You're Not a Bad Jewish Mom If Your Kid Wants Santa Claus to Come to Your House Marion Haberman No Labels:
• Remembrance and Resilience, 25 Years Later (Part One) Boaz Hepner 'As a Jew' Jews—Shut Up!
• A Statement About Donald Trump's Apocrypha September 3, 2026 A Moment in Time:

Details worth keeping

There is something powerful about this time of year. We move through cycles, but hopefully, we also ascend. Did we appreciate the people who enriched our lives?

Related coverage

• Myjewishlearning: Why does Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Sept. 11, come before Yom Kippur? After all, shouldn't we acknowledge...
• Betweencarpools: Chodesh Elul Mazel: Besulah (girl) Human Faculty: Action Yes, it's that time of year again: The King is in the field.