The month of Cheshvan offers us a unique opportunity to utilize this time when we do not have any holidays to establish good habits.

We take on “New Year’s resolutions” during the months of Elul and Tishre, areas in which we want to grow, change and improve.

It is easy to slip back into old patterns after Tishre. Do we want to come to the next Rosh Hashanah and find that all our positive resolutions fell by the wayside? Or do we want to take that spiritual momentum we still have from the season of Holy Days and use that power to move into constructive growth? It takes time to form new habits, now is the time to do so!

Now is the time to find ways to increase in kedusha (holiness).

We can “spend time”, or we can “use time” with purpose.

We can listen to a Torah podcast or go to a live shiur instead of scrolling through social media or watching empty video clips on TikTok or YouTube. We can read a bit on emunah, or another meaningful subject, before bed rather than the latest novel… We can go to a Shabbat meal Friday night instead of a movie; say Tehillim (psalms) for someone going through a difficult time; we can cultivate closeness to our Creator by thinking of 10 things to be grateful for daily…

Such efforts will surely allow us to take that spiritual high into our lives and feel connected to our Creator, continuously, not just during the Holy Days season.