Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where speaking feels like a struggle because the other person doesn’t leave room to listen? You notice it when every attempt to say something ends in overlapping words, leaving you no space to even breathe.

It’s fascinating how silence can be so uncomfortable for us humans.

Anyway, now you step once again into the grand and beautiful tent of Caramoor for the High Holidays. There’s a lively buzz as people gather moments before the service begins. As you find your seat, familiar faces smile at you, observing what you’re wearing, and someone approaches to chat. Yet, amidst the joy of reuniting with friends, a part of you craves only one thing: SILENCE.

Typically, the last Shabbat of the Hebrew month is known as “Shabbat Mevarchim,” when the upcoming month is announced. But this time, things are different.

On Shabbat Nitzavim, the final Shabbat of the year (today), there’s no announcement of the new month or year. Even the shofar, which resonates throughout Elul, falls silent on the days before Rosh Hashanah.

Some believe this tradition exists to confuse Satan, preventing him from interfering with divine blessings as the new year begins.

I personally feel, about this tradition, that to truly welcome what lies ahead, to immerse ourselves in two days of prayer and melodies we cherish, we first need silence. Silence invites reflection.

Silence to calm our anxieties. Silence to make space for others and truly listen. Silence after a year of misused or wasted words. Silence to remember those who are no longer with us or to marvel at the mysteries that words cannot capture.

Silence to feel the power of a caress, like the quiet joy of basking in sunlight streaming through a window. Silence in acceptance of what we cannot control or change. Music couldn’t be possible without silence.

The numerical value of the Hebrew word “Sheket” (silence) is 409, the same as “Achat”, meaning “one.”

We can pray, fast, and seek guidance from friends or professionals. But true change always begins within – through our connection with the oneness inside us, and perhaps for many people, with the One greater than ourselves as well.

My wishes for the upcoming year are that we may embrace that inner silence, finding courage to truly listen. So maybe we will be able to fulfill the words of this Parasha:

“And the Eternal your God will make you abound… if you return to the Eternal your God with all your heart and all your soul” (Devarim 30:9-10).

Shabbat shalom, L’shanah tovah.

May you find what you’re looking for.