Rabbi’s Update 8/7/2026

Dear Friends:

Thank you to everyone who led services and read Torah and haftarah while I was on vacation. Thanks in particular to Rabbi Emeritus Mark Raphael who provided backup coverage in case of emergencies, and to Rabbi Jonah Layman of Shaare Tefila in Olney for “backup backup” coverage for the three days when neither Rabbi Raphael nor I were in town.

Rosh Chodesh Elul, the beginning of the month of Elul, is this coming Thursday and Friday. On the first of Elul (Thursday night and Friday) we begin certain customs to prepare us for the upcoming High Holidays. We recite Psalm 27 at the end of both evening and morning services, and traditionally the shofar is sounded at the end of every morning service except for Shabbat. Because we do not have morning minyan except on Sundays, some years ago we began sounding the Shofar at the end of evening services. The sounding of the Shofar at the end of services is a custom and not a mitzvah (as evidenced by the fact that we don’t say a blessing for sounding the Shofar during Elul as we do on Rosh Hashanah) so if there happens not to be anyone at minyan who can sound the Shofar, it’s fine. 

Many also have the customs of visiting the graves of their parents or grandparents, sending Rosh Hashanah greetings to friends and relatives, and increasing their tzedakah. Our spiritual preparations should not be done out of fear (i.e., that if we don’t get teshuvah “right” that God will punish us) but rather out of love. Love for God, love for our fellow Jews, and love for all humanity. There is a folk belief that the letters which make up Elul -- Aleph, Lamed,Vav, Lamed -- are an acronym for the phrase from Song of Songs ani l’dodi v’dodi li -- “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.” This symbolizes the love between God and the Jewish people. In the rush of preparation we should not forget to take time to ponder our behaviors of the past year and work on ways to increase the love we show to God and to each other.

If you or someone you know is in need because of having been laid off, or has  lost benefits of some type and needs immediate help, please let me know. I can access limited funds through the Jewish Federation almost immediately. For longer-term help, the Hebrew Free Loan Society will loan up to $18,000 interest-free and the Jewish Federation has set up a hotline to access assistance at 703-JCARING.

As a reminder, I am having drop-in hours on Thursday afternoons from 2 to 4 at the shul. For my drop-in hours, you do not need to make an appointment -- that would negate the whole point of drop-in hours -- but I’d urge you to check and make sure I am there regardless as sometimes there are unavoidable pastoral or other emergencies which might take me away from the building. 

As always, if I can do anything for you or you need to talk, please contact me at rabbi@kehilatshalom.org rather than through the synagogue office. I am happy to meet you at the synagogue by appointment; if you want to speak with me it’s best to make an appointment rather than assuming I will be there when you stop by. 

Additionally, if you know of a Kehilat Shalom congregant or another member of our Jewish community who could use a phone call, please let me know.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Charles L. Arian