The Charlotte Jewish News- November 2026- Page 40
A Month Without Holidays
By Rabbi Chanoch Oppenheim
The shofar has been put away, the sukkah has come down, the dancing of Simchat Torah has ended, and the High Holiday season is behind us. After weeks of prayer, reflection, celebration, as well as many large and festive holiday meals, we return to something that may seem rather unremarkable, ordinary life. Welcome to the Hebrew month of Marcheshvan.
Marcheshvan is unique in the Jewish calendar in that it is the only month without a holiday, fast day, or special mitzvah observance of its own. After the spiritual intensity of the preceding month, we might be tempted to regard it as something of a letdown but therein lies the message. The real measure of what we gained during the holidays is not simply how inspired we felt, but how we conduct ourselves when life returns to normal. What do Jews do with‘ normal?’ It’ s something that everyone in our community agrees is a good thing and the more of it, the better. And that is charity.
Jewish generosity has a remarkable history. Although Jews comprise only about 2.5 percent of the American population, Jewish charitable institutions have consistently demonstrated an extraordinary capacity for giving. In 1992, the United Jewish Appeal ranked third among American charities in fundraising contributions, an impressive achievement for such a small percentage of the American population.
More recently, a 2024 study by Indiana University’ s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that Jewish households donating to charity gave an average of $ 10,588 annually, compared with $ 8,025 among non-Jewish donor households. Jewish generosity also extends far beyond our own community.
A 2013 national study, Connected to Give, found that 92 percent of Jewish charitable donors supported non-Jewish organizations. These figures are impressive, and rightly a source of communal pride, but Jewish tradition challenges us to think about generosity in an even broader way.
We commonly use the Hebrew word tzedakah to mean charity, but its literal meaning is righteousness or justice. Giving to someone in financial need is not merely an expression of goodwill, it’ s a moral responsibility. There is, however, another Jewish concept that takes generosity beyond the financial: chesed, or being kind.
The Talmud( Sukkah 49b) explains that acts of kindness are greater in scope than charity in three ways. Charity is generally performed with money, while kindness can be performed with one’ s money or one’ s person. Charity is directed toward the poor, while kindness can benefit the rich and poor alike. Finally, charity benefits the living, while kindness can extend even to those who have passed away.
A wealthy person may have no need for your financial support but desperately want someone who will listen without judgment. A strong, independent neighbor may appreciate an extra pair of hands when moving furniture. A friend who seems to have everything may be carrying a burden that nobody sees. Someone in the hospital or a homebound elderly person might simply need a visit. None of these acts requires a charitable donation yet all of them can change someone’ s day, and occasionally someone’ s life.
There is a moving story about the Klausenberger Rebbe, who lost his wife and 11 children during the Holocaust. Immediately after the war, while he was still in a displaced persons camp, he devoted himself to helping fellow survivors rebuild their lives. One day the Rebbe noticed a young Jewish girl who had no socks. When he gently asked her about it, he learned that she had lost everything during the war and had barely enough food to eat, let alone clothing. The Rebbe immediately sat down, took off his socks, and handed them to the girl.
Years later, after the Rebbe’ s passing, a woman arrived to comfort his grieving family. She carried a small bag containing a pair of socks. She explained that she was the young girl from the displaced persons camp and had treasured those socks ever since. The socks themselves were of little monetary value, but the Rebbe had given her something infinitely more precious: the knowledge that, even though she had lost everything and was alone in the world, she still mattered.
The Talmud( Sotah 14a) says,“ Great is chesed( acts of kindness), for the Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed.” In the beginning of the Torah( Genesis 3:21) we read that the Creator gave the first couple clothing and at the end of the Torah we read that the Almighty buried Moses. The Torah contains 613 commandments, profound theological teachings, and the foundation of Jewish law and ethics but the Sages direct our attention to two remarkably simple acts: the kindness of providing clothing and the kindness of burying someone.
Judaism contains an ancient, unbroken chain of deep and meaningful prayers, beliefs, observances, and a rich body of texts to study, but we must never forget that treating others with kindness must also be a seminal part of our Jewish identity. Which brings us back to the current Hebrew month of Marcheshvan.
This month contains no holidays to celebrate, no shofar to sound, and no sukkah to sit in, but it offers countless opportunities to encourage others, lighten their burdens, and make someone’ s life a little easier. Our community’ s tradition of charitable giving is something to cherish and strengthen, but perhaps this month we can also ask ourselves a different question: Beyond my financial contributions, how much of myself am I willing to give?
Marcheshvan may be the month without holidays, but there is no month without opportunities for kindness.
The Charlotte Torah Center is an organization that serves as a community resource for traditional Jewish education at all levels for people of all backgrounds. Through group classes, one-on-one study, special seminars, and explanatory learning worship services, students are exposed to the wealth of knowledge accumulated over centuries. The Center fosters lifelong study, appreciation for Judaism, and pride in one’ s heritage.