This week leading up to Rosh Hashanah 5786/2025 there’s been lots of mention of “Turning Point” in the news following the shooting of Charlie Kirk which shook (and in some ways also divided) the nation. Locally, I found many of our students, from all sides of the political spectrum were shaken and upset by this act of murderous political violence.
This post is NOT about the organization, its goals or mission or style, or any such political matters. It’s not about the org itself. But hearing and seeing the word “Turning Point” so many times just before Rosh Hashanah made me think of how Teshuvah (return/repentance) is a personal turning point. Even the Shofar has its turning point!
A few words about turning points:
(1) It need not be a huge shift like a 180 degree turn. Even turning a few degrees in a better direction can make a huge difference longer term.
(2) It’s easier to keep going in the same groove. Even a slight turn takes effort, focus, a realignment. The more significant the turn, the greater the effort! The Chassid Reb Mendel Futerfas learned from a tightrope walker that turning around at the other pole is the hardest part of the act.
(3) There’s also a parable about the high holidays: Imagine two people standing back to back, they are in such close proximity, yet so far apart, as they face in different directions. But to change that, we don’t have to go far – all it takes is a turning point!