05/08/2026
AUGUST 2026 NEWSLETTER -- FROM THE RABBI
For full newsletter go tohttps://www.oxfordshul.com/media/newsletters/August%202026.pdf
Do you remember Rosh Hashanah, just under eleven months ago? The year lay ahead of us, full of promise. This would be the year. My time management would be better; I would invest more in interpersonal and family relationships; I would study more Torah; I would deepen my connection with Hashem. Firm resolutions were made, with the commitment that this time around, it would really be different. Looking back…
Just a few days ago, we read from the Torah about the special blessings conferred upon our Holy Land. “… a land upon which Hashem’s eyes are set, from the beginning of the year to the end of a year.” Note the grammatical asymmetry here: beginning of the year… end of a year.
Perhaps the Torah is describing exactly how many of our years unfold. We begin with powerful resolve that this is going to be the year. At the end of the twelve or thirteen months, we look back in embarrassment when we realise that indeed just another year has passed, unworthy of that definite article.
So here is the good news: There are still five weeks to Rosh Hashanah. These include the powerful month of Elul, filled with the redemptive power of Teshuva (often translated as ‘repentance’ but more accurately and literally meaning ‘return’). What we do over this period leading up to the New Year can have an effect on the prior eleven months.
Elul starts on 13 August, but let’s get a head start.
Can we try start the new year ferrible-free? It may just take a quick message to sort out a minor misunderstanding or may require some root treatment—not pleasant but salutary.
Can we pay up all our debts? There is indeed a custom to make sure that all financial obligations are sorted before the day of judgment. But I am also referring to another form of indebtedness—commitments we have made towards Hashem or our fellow which remain unfulfilled.
Can we increase our Tzedakah? Whether it is a larger one-off donation or simply the habit of giving a coin each weekday before prayer, every act of generosity benefits both the recipient and the giver. Our rabbis teach us that charity has the power to avert harsh decrees.
Can we check the Mezuzot in our homes? Elul is an auspicious time to do so. These can fade with time, so should have a ‘service’ every few years. Reach out if you need assistance with this.
Then there is the custom of wishing each other Shana Tova, or even better, using the customary formula of Ketiva Vachatima Tova, meaning that our fate should be inscribed and sealed for the good. You can start this now. We are taught that each time we use this greeting, we create another good advocate for judgment on Rosh Hashanah. I can use that.
The power-month of Elul can change the past. So let’s make this the month, and then we can hopefully look back at 5786 as the year.
Wishing you Ketiva Vachatima Tova.
Rabbi Yossi Chaikin
