As the final gates of Yom Kippur close, how do we face a new year when we cannot be certain of what it holds?. My Neilah sermon addresses this question directly, beginning from a place of profound honesty. It acknowledges that for many, the past year has been a companion to doubt, fear, and uncertainty. The message affirms that being true about where you stand—even if it is a place of anger or confusion—is itself a powerful and honest form of prayer.
Rather than offering easy answers or proofs, this sermon suggests a different path. It argues that while we cannot have certainty, we can have integrity. We can choose how we meet an unforgiving world, holding fast to our values and insisting that conscience is not cancelled by fear. Using a memorable story about two types of wisdom, the sermon asks a crucial question: at this final hour, do we let our need for calculation lead us, or do we follow the conviction that a good life is lived through our actions?. This is a message about keeping faith with hope, not as a prediction, but as a courageous decision for the year to come.
