Change is possible, thanks to Chazak V’Ematz

Rabbi’s Message: September 30, 2025

This week, we stand in that liminal space between the awe of Rosh HaShanah and the intensity of Yom Kippur. These ten days are the hinge of the High Holy Days, the moment where we are invited to turn more fully toward the teshuvah we seek, and to summon the strength to follow through.

This week, we read Parashat Vayilech, at the very end of the Torah. As Moses prepares to take leave of the people, he turns again and again to three simple but powerful words: “Chazak v’ematz” — “Be strong and courageous” (Deut. 31:6–7). These are not just words for Joshua, his successor. They are words for every Israelite trembling at the edge of change, standing on the threshold of the unknown.

Moses knew that change is not easy. He spent his whole adult life trying to help the Israelites navigate the transformation from the constriction of slavery to the openness of freedom. Moses knew that to leave behind habits that no longer serve us requires strength. To open ourselves to the possibility of reconciliation and forgiveness requires courage. To admit where we have fallen short, and then to step toward a different future, takes a resilience of spirit that does not come naturally — it must be cultivated.

This season calls us not only to reflection but to transformation. The prayers we recite, the confessions we speak, the silences we endure are not meant to shame us — they are meant to strengthen us. Each “Ashamnu” whispered, each “Al Chet” recited, is like lifting a small weight. The more we practice, the stronger our spiritual muscles become. And with that strength, courage rises within us to act differently in the year ahead.

This week invites us to ask: What is the act of courage I am being called to this year? What strength must I muster to step into the life I long to live? And how can this community help each of us hold that courage when it feels fleeting?

So as we journey toward Yom Kippur, may we take Moses’ words to heart. Chazak v’ematz. Be strong in your commitments. Be courageous in your change. And may this season give us the “Chazak v’ematz” not only to dream of return, but to live it.

(This is a version of the iyyun (or “sermonette”) from this Shabbat Shuva – the Shabbat of Return.)