GUEST COMMENTARY
As we gather this High Holiday season in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, we are reminded of the beauty and resilience of this land. The rolling hills, clear skies and endless horizons reflect a truth we carry into the new year: even after the harshest seasons, new life always finds a way.
Just as the Hill Country blooms again after drought, so too do we have the power to renew, to hope, and to build a brighter tomorrow.
The High Holidays are a time to pause, to reflect and to reconnect — with God, with our community, and with ourselves. In a world that often focuses on what is broken, what is missing, or what is wrong, we are called to do something different: to look for light, to see the good, and to choose hope.
Each of us has a unique light to share. Just as every person in our community adds to the beauty of the greater whole, so too does each of us have a spark that can bring kindness, strength and positivity into the world.
You don’t need to be a leader or a scholar — you simply need to be you. Your warmth, your smile, your words, your actions — they all matter. When we each bring our light, together we create a community that shines, not just in the Hill Country, but far beyond.
If we ever feel despair or a lack of hope and enthusiasm for the future, we are reminded of the hopeful vision of Ezekiel’s Valley of Dry Bones — a powerful metaphor for our time. In that vision, Ezekiel sees a valley filled with bones; a picture of a people who have lost hope, feeling broken and disconnected. Then, God tells him, “Prophesy to the bones… and say to them, ‘O dry bones, hear the word of God.’” (Ezekiel 37:4).
The bones come to life, step by step, as hope returns and they are reconnected with one another. This reminds us that even in our darkest moments, there is always a spark of life.
Even when things feel dry or uncertain, we can choose hope. We can choose to focus on what’s possible, not just what’s wrong.
This High Holiday season, let us be the ones who bring the light, who reach out, who rebuild connections and who believe in a better tomorrow.
May 5787 be a year of renewed hope, deeper connection, and a collective light that fills our homes, our community, and our world.
Gemar Chatimah Tovah — May you be sealed for a good year.
Rabbi Yossi Marrus is executive director and spiritual leader of Chabad of Boerne.
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