The weeks before the High Holidays are a perfect time to commit to the Tzedek Box. Tisha B’Av is a day when we mourn the senseless hatred that has wreaked destruction on our people. We then soon enter Elul, a month where we engage in the soul-accounting work of cheshbon ha-nefesh in preparation for the High Holidays. Use this sacred time to recommit to the Jewish call for justice and start your own Tzedek Box.

The Hebrew month of Tishrei -- this year in September -- is when Jews resolve to begin anew. On Rosh Hashanah, we pursue the work of teshuvah (seeking forgiveness), tefilah (prayer), and tzedakah (righteous giving). On Yom Kippur, the prophet Isaiah reminds us that our fast is meaningless if we allow oppression to persist. On Sukkot, we reflect on our vulnerability -- and, on Simchat Torah, we begin the Torah again and contemplate Creation anew. Start your Jewish year by joining Tzedek Box and recommitting to the Jewish call for justice.

The High Holidays are over, but the Torah is just heating up. In Genesis 18:19, we learn of G-d’s intentions for Abraham and the Jewish people: "For I have singled him out, that he may instruct his children and his posterity to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is just and right." Abraham, our tradition's patriarch, then immediately acts on this ethic by stepping up ("yifgash") four verses later and challenges the Almighty to act justly in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham's chutzpah is one of many examples in our Jewish memory of using our voice to address the wrong we see in the world. Mark this moment by committing to your chutzpah and starting your own Tzedek Box.