A Moment in Time: “A New Year – and our Quota of Words”

This week I offer a synopsis of my Rosh Hashanah morning sermon (the full text is linked below):

The Days of Awe immerse us in words—prayers, songs, sermons. Yet the most powerful gift of these days is not in what we say, but in what we refrainfrom saying.

The Baal Shem Tov taught that every soul is given a quota of words for a lifetime. When we use up our words, we will die. Imagine if each word carried us one step closer to the last. How carefully would we choose them? Which would we save? Which would we regret?

This season invites us to pause, to breathe, to dwell in the holiness of silence. Like the letter Aleph—soundless, yet chosen to begin the Ten Commandments—silence holds space for humility and wisdom. Like the biblical Isaac—quiet, enduring, a man of few words—we too can carry the covenant not by speaking endlessly, by not posting on social media – but by being present.

Still, silence is not the whole story. There are moments when words are required—to comfort, to challenge, to speak truth, to lift another soul. Wisdom is knowing when to refrain and when to give voice.

This Holy Day season, may we recognize each pause, each word, each silence as a sacred moment in time. May we use our words sparingly and courageously, so that they may bring light into the year ahead.

With love and shalom,

Rabbi Zach Shapiro