Rosh Hashanah 2026 Day 1: What are we afraid of: In our own lives and in our world
I want to acknowledge a feeling in this room. It is the feeling of fear. I hope you aren’t scared at this moment, I am not. I feel very safe.
But I know that there is a collective fear that many are feeling at this time of year.
It could be a timeless fear-what does it mean to show up, before God, ask the most existential of questions, and wonder, will we be ok? Will we be ok in our marriages, our jobs, with our health, with our success?
It could be a timely fear-how is the situation in the world impacting my every day life? Am I scared to be visibly Jewish? Am I scared to come to a synagogue or another type of Jewish learning? Am I scared to lose friends because of my beliefs?
It could be a combination of the two-do I fear that I am no longer at home-in a political party, in NYC, in my family?
What do we do when we are afraid?
How do we respond emotionally and spiritually and practically?
This morning, I would like to walk us through the notion of fear in Judaism, and consider, together, what we do with that very real emotion.
As my friend Rabbi Nicole Guzik, the Co-Senior Rabbi at Sinai Temple in LA shared with me, when she once thought about “What Scares You?” she came up with some great answers-some might say they have a fear of public speaking, flying or maybe, sharks. Or even clowns. Maybe snakes or spiders. High percentages showed most Americans are afraid of government corruption, terrorism, theft. Personal fears are just as high—people are scared of becoming seriously ill, scared of seeing their loved ones hurt, and scared of not having enough money to plan for future goals. And that is the fear of being less than—less than our neighbors, less than our colleagues, less than our siblings. It is the fear of succumbing to an envy so malignant we find ourselves unable to reach higher because we are always looking over our shoulder wondering how do they do it. And of course many are fearful today because of the climate that we are living in-the rise of anti semitism, the rise of anti israel / anti zionist hate around the world.
So how do we respond to this sense of fear that we have at different moments in our lives?
What can we learn from our biblical ancestors to help us when we are afraid?
It’s important to understand that our biblical tradition doesn't define courage as the absence of fear, but as what someone does while afraid.
Let’s explore some of our biblical characters to learn more about this-
When we think about the biblical Jacob, there are numerous stories about his fear and actions including-tricking his father, working for his father in law, but one of the most powerful is the moment where he will see his brother Esau again after over 20 years. We see that he was afraid but we also learn from him that Fear leads to transformation but the question is how-
He is terrified when he learns that Esau is coming toward him with 400 men. The Torah says: "Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed."
But he doesn’t let his fear stop him cold in his tracks, he has a plan.
He prepares by dividing his camp and sending gifts ahead and then, he prays:
"Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him."
That is an unusually honest biblical prayer. Jacob doesn't pretend to be fearless.
And then comes the wrestling match that night with the unnamed man or angel-.
There is a beautiful progression: He needs to be transformed in order to be ready to meet his brother. When we are afraid, how we do prepare and transform ourselves? Is it to reconcile with someone, is it to start something new? What can we learn from Jacob?
As you see, fear can prompt both preparation and spiritual transformation-Jacob enters the encounter with the angel as Jacob and emerges with a new name: Israel, now fully ready to meet Esau.
A second example is Moses who is known as the most humble prophet. When asked by God to go to Pharoah, his response was "Who am I?"
Moses' fear is different than Jacob’s. His problem isn't primarily physical danger. It is inadequacy.
He gives God excuse after excuse:
Who am I?
What if they don't believe me?
I don't know how to speak.
Please send someone else.
This is fascinating because Moses' fear isn't evidence that he isn't capable. In fact, the biblical story ultimately tells us that he is precisely the person capable of doing it. This is important for so many of us, especially those of us who have imposter syndrome. Don’t say it should be someone else when it should be you. Don’t be afraid because you don’t think you can especially if others think you are set for a certain task.
His fear is about the gap between who he thinks he is and what the moment demands of him. It also shows that humility is a strength not a weakness. We can be fearful and still move forward.
A third example is a communal fear. The Israelites at the Red Sea: Fear makes us want to go backward
This is perhaps one of the most psychologically realistic biblical scenes.
The Israelites have finally escaped Egypt. Then they see Pharaoh's army approaching.
And they panic: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to die in the wilderness?"
And then comes the remarkable statement: "It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness."
Think about that. They are free, but freedom is terrifying.
They would rather return to something they know—even something oppressive—than face the uncertainty of what comes next. THIS IS NOT HOW WE WANT TO LIVE. We need to continue to build the communities of faith that we believe in, even when it is hard. We don’t go backwards!
There is a fascinating moment towards the end of the Torah when Joshua is given the instructions about being Moses’ successor to take the people into the land of Israel. Though he hasn’t expressed fear, God understands that it might be there and he is told, "Be strong and courageous."
But what's fascinating is how often God says it.
Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be afraid. Do not be dismayed.
Why would God have to say it so many times? Because courage isn't a personality trait. It is a practice that we need to cultivate. So much so, that we also repeat this phrase as part of the Psalm for this season, a selection of Psalm 27 where we read: "chazak v'yametz" (חֲזַק וְיַאֲמֵץ) means "be strong and take courage," and it comes from the final verse of Psalm 27 (Tehillim 27:14): "Kaveh el Hashem, chazak v'yametz libecha, v'kaveh el Hashem"—"be strong and take courage,-Hope in the Lord, let your heart be firm and bold, and hope in the Lord."
Sometimes we don't need someone to tell us that there is nothing to fear. We need someone to tell us that we can be afraid and still move forward.
Another incredible model though on the other hand, is the model of Esther, a woman I will come back to. She is afraid to go to the king, but she finds confidence through her connection with her Jewish community. They fast for her, as a show of solidarity with this very tenuous moment. This too gives us an important model:
Esther doesn't overcome fear by becoming isolated. She draws strength from other people.
The Bible doesn't require its heroes to be fearless since fear is a real emotion.
Rather, we need to understand, What will we do with our fear? How do we move from fear to action?
And THAT is the question for this moment.
In Hebrew, Rosh Hashanah & Yom Kippur are called the Yamim Nora’im -- which can be translated as:
Days of Fear
and Yamim Nora’im can ALSO mean:
The Awe-Inspiring Days
As Rabbi Yael Hammerman from Congregation Habonim taught, this is best represented in the Unetaneh Tokef prayer in Musaf, as we tremble before God, acknowledging BOTH the awesome power and fear-instilling nature of these days. And it is this prayer which is of course an endless litany of what we have to fear when we ask, who will live and who will die.
But even though we know bad these things CAN happen, can we find a way to
live in awe and not fear? How do we make the shift to not be paralyzed? How do we move to action the way our biblical ancestors did?
We need to keep moving forward, one foot in front of the other, even when it is hard. How often are we afraid that we don’t move at all and then we are stuck-we don’t respond to an email, we don’t return a call, we don’t apply for a job, we don’t ask someone out on a date. Fear is real but we need to keep moving.
How do we respond as individuals and as a Jewish community when we are afraid?
What actions need to take place?
In our own lives?
Healthy fear is ok-you don’t want to be dumb and dangerous, as i often refer to as toddlers, you need to look both ways before crossing, there are ways to avoid problems….But How do we overcome self interest, fear, and failure?
I can’t help but think about the heroic passengers on Flight 93 25 years ago who fought back the terrorists on the plane and crashed it into a field in PA, with their famous word’s, Let’s Roll. I am sure they were scared but they did something about their fear, and even though the ending was so awful and disastrous, their movement, rather than their paralysis, made a difference in preventing an even greater catastrophe.
In speaking with my friend, Rabbi Guzik, we remarked that we don’t remember the Jewish community more fearful than we do today. The fear that leads some to question if, we should only celebrate our Judaism inside where no one can find us, where no one can see us?
Rabbi Guzik said, “But fear isn’t the element, the ingredient that has led to Jewish survival for thousands and thousands of years. Look at the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem, the inquisition and expulsions in England and Spain, the pogroms, the Holocaust, the Iranian Revolution. Fear is a given but WE LIVE DESPITE FEAR.”
So what do we do with that? Judaism should be lived in a way that is:
Active,
Daily,
Public.
“Don't be afraid to express your Judaism. Don't be afraid to embrace your Judaism. Run to a Jewish community. Embrace it and you will be embraced. Think about it the way we pray the shma and vahavta-Do this with all of your heart, all of your soul, and all of your might.”
In other words—proudly wear a Magen David or Jewish symbol. Light Shabbat candles. Kiss the mezuzah, Go to synagogue, eat at a kosher restaurant; this used to feel simple. But now, we too must engage in acts of courage and acts of faith. It is our responsibility to ensure that our traditions continue no matter what acts of fear attempt to keep us quiet.
And speak out against anti semitism wherever you see it.
Hold people accountable.
Work to get people elected that you believe that reflect your values.
Yes, there IS something to fear. But, during these Yamim Noraim, we can channel that fear into awe.
And it is that awe that we hold onto as we practice our religious faith and wear our Jewish identity.
Finally I WANT TO ADDRESS THIS FEAR and HOW I AM THINKING ABOUT IT- I want to address what feels like an elephant in the room. Since last July 2025 when the Johnson Amendment was repealed and clergy could now endorse or not endorse candidates and with the meteoric rise of DSA candidates in this country and of course the rise of Anti Semitism throughout the US and in NYC, there has been tremendous pressures for rabbis to address and fix this issue.
Over the past year I have come to you many times to address what I believe are the issues of the day, and I have done it in a variety of ways.
I’ve given multiple sermons about it including after the recent nyc congressional elections, the stabbing outside of the Jewish center, the rise in AntiSemitism. As you know I spoke about Israel and Gaza last Rosh Hashanah and I spoke about Mayor Mamdani before the election and why I wasn’t voting for him. So too I have spoken about some of Trump’s policies and concerns I have with him. I have spoken about the Iran wars and how it is impacting Israelis, and I have traveled to Israel and have given daily reflections on what I was observing. I have written about issues of civic engagement in the bulletin and we’ve brought people together for conversations about how to get involved in the voting process in local elections, we have members of our board involved in a citywide Jewish initiative about this issue, and pro Israel individuals speak from our bimah all the time. I teach our 7th graders every week and included in that is what it means to think about Zionism, which is not a dirty word, and certainly not a word to be feared. I’ve signed letters, and have shown up at press conferences and have tried to make alliances with those who see fighting for the same thing as we are. Why am I, why are we doing all of this? Because I won’t let my fear paralyze me. For some of you, maybe I speak too much and for others, not enough. Please know I think about this issue every day.
I understand that many of you are afraid because of the state of our world and the state of our city.
What I want to address for a moment is what this means for clergy. We are scared also. We do not want bi-partisan support for Israel to disappear. We don’t want to be scared walking down the street, visibly Jewish. I certainly don’t want to spend all of my time thinking about security plans and going to meetings in the city with other officials.
But I do. I have spent a year-actually 3- trying to think about all of these things, but let me be clear about where I believe my power and expertise begins and ends. I am your rabbi, the spiritual leader of this congregation.
I can and do focus on creating a safe and secure synagogue in partnership with our security agency, the NYPD, and the larger Jewish community, AND I work to inspire our community that is committed to the vision of living proud and open Jewish lives, of supporting Israel as it strives to be the best version of itself, a community for people of all ages, that cares deeply about Jewish learning, Jewish prayer, Jewish ritual, and Jewish peoplehood. I will not shy away from being Jewish. I do my best to be there for you pastorally-when your loved ones die or are born. When they get married, get divorced, are sick, or are in pain. When they are seeking more opportunities for learning and engagement, each and everyone one of our team members is here to focus on building a congregation that inspires, educates, and engages. This is what it means to turn fear into awe and to keep moving.
Oh how I wish I could change certain political outcomes in places like Michigan and Colorado and yes here in NYC. I know that there are many Jewish and secular organizations committed to those causes and while I am connected to them, I have chosen not to lead those organizations because that is not my destiny. It was not what I was made for, as I spoke about last night.
Should I run for office here to help stem the tide of extremism on both sides to do the aisle which is causing many Jews to feel politically homeless? No-thats not for me despite the fact that I wish there there were moderate centrist candidates that more reflected my values -
So what do we do at this moment?
I know, at this moment is, My destiny is to be your rabbi. And that means that I am also one of you-I don’t have all of the answers about how to respond to politicians’ awful rhetoric about Israel but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to talk about how it is impacting you. In fact, I talk to you at the gym about it when you bring it up, in the supermarket, on email, on social media, and in our weekly coffee and catch up, and at kiddush. I will be there for you as we weather this storm which is making all of us feel very unbalanced and afraid.
So I want to share something that Dara Horn taught in her recent book, The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living-”I tell a story in the book about being at a college where a Jewish student was telling me how she was sitting in a seminar and one of the other students is making antisemitic comments in class, and the professor’s not pushing back at all. He’s like, “Oh, it’s an interesting perspective.” And the student told me, she said, “I didn’t say anything, ’cause I knew if I said something I was gonna be harassed, I was gonna be, you know, doxxed and pilloried online and all of that.” And she was absolutely right. And then she said to me, “You know, I wish I had said something. I wish I had said something.” And then Dara Horn reminds the readers that as Jews, we can and we must find the courage to speak up about who we are. Just as our biblical Queen Esther has a cousin named Mordecai who doesn't wait for the context who doesn't bow to tyrants he tells Esther she must go to the king to defend her people at first Queen Esther is like the college student who's afraid to say anything and rightly so if she approaches the king without being invited she says she could be killed or even canceled or doxed but Mordechai tells her perhaps this is the reason you became Queen so you could use your power in this moment. Jews around the world have reached their Queen Esther moment presented with the same choice their ancestors always faced they can choose not to say anything choose to disappear that would be the default choice or they can choose life and rise to the occasion ….There were so many people who made unlikely choices choices that were unfashionable choices that were inconvenient choices, that were dangerous choices that required extreme devotion-
My son's great great uncle who jumped off and overloaded boat full of survivors under British Navy fire and managed to swim to a Tel Aviv Beach;
Generations of women who followed every meticulous rule to create all the Sabbath and holiday celebrations that would live in their family's sensory memories
Generations of parents who whispered the ancient words of the Love Letter into their children's ear every night
People beyond memory who made so many choices at enormous cost for every person like that over the past several thousand years….
It is the people who refuse to bow to tyrants - they are the final solution and they always will be.”
I wish I could waive a magic wand and turn back the clocks to how many of us felt before Sept 11, 2001 or Oct 7, 2023. I can’t.
But I can be there for you and you can be there for me and we can commit to building a congregation and a Jewish community that has done what it always has done, in good times and bad. Built our Jewish home based on the values we believe in, practicing the rituals that are ours and no one can take away. And I will continue to be there for you- An ark to be on as the waters rise outside, as our lives continue day in and day out.
Thank you for trusting me on this journey as I begin my 15th year with you. Years where we have been together to discuss the good and the bad in the world and in our lives. I know that many people like us feel lost and unsafe. But when we feel like that, what I can do is bring us together. Like we are now.
So thank you for being here, even when you are afraid, for trusting us, for looking for awe and inspiration, and for being in it together.
Shana Tova.
