Keeping life interesting after Yom Tov

Start a new masechet.

I think the lesson behind Marcheshvan is that we need to infuse everyday life with holiness and impart everyday life with a sense of what we should have learned over the past couple of months. Elul should teach us the necessity of asking G-d’s forgiveness and selicha. Rosh HaShanah should impart in us a sense of awe of G-d’s Kingship and Dominion. Yom Kippur should remind us of the need to constantly seek to do teshuva and amend and improve our ways. Sukkot is a reminder of the passing and fleeting nature of the world and its inherent follies (Kohelet). Hoshana Rabba is a reminder to again to improve the world and make permanent changes in it. Shemini Atzeret is to remind us of the need to internalize what symbols are supposed to represent to us, and to focus on our inner selves and experiencing inner joy, Simchat Torah is a reminder of the need to always delight and rejoice in the Torah, and Shabbat Bereshit is a reminder of the need to be focused on our renewal and on the ever-turning cycle of creation and Torah.

Our task is to incorporate these psycho-spiritual messages into our everyday lives and to elevate the mundane.

I know this is hard on a continual basis, but you might try to keep

in mind that your job allows you to have your Shabbos meals and to give tzoddaka and provide for your family and how all that is fulfilling

G-ds’ commands.

This is (to the best of my memory of what I think, my rabbis have taught me) especially true if you have set times for Torah study even a few words if that is all you have time for, in the morning and another few at night.

It also helps if you enjoy your job, which admittedly is also hard for many people.

I find for myself, reading something on each weeks Torah portion and how it relates in some way to the week or that part of the month, helps to make each Shabbos new and something to look forward to so the work week goes by a bit faster and easier.

I wish you much hatzlacha.

if you ever had something you wanted to work on you now have a long stretch of uninterrupted time to get it done. now is the time to be productive!!!

enjoy the crisp fall weather, the leaves changing colors, the shortening of the days and the comfort and cozy feeling that comes along with the season change.

Now I chap why in EY they start with sufganiyot (doughnuts) straight after Succos!!!