After the intensity of the High Holidays, the Hebrew month of Cheshvan reminds us that real change happens in the quiet, steady days in between. In this Rosh Chodesh reflection, Sheila Katz, former CEO of National Council of Jewish Women, shares what it means to live our values every day — through small, consistent actions that ripple into lasting impact.

After the intensity of the High Holidays - days filled with prayer, community, and renewal - the Jewish calendar gives us the month of Cheshvan: a time with no festivals or fasts. Sometimes called Mar Cheshvan, “bitter Cheshvan,” it can feel empty after the spiritual highs of the month prior. But to me, Cheshvan looks a lot like what real organizing is: steady, unglamorous, faithful work that sustains us between milestones.

As Jews, we don’t wait for the next holiday to live our values. Cheshvan reminds us that ordinary days are the true measure of who we are. For me, that means showing up each day to expand access to health care and childcare, confront the inequities that keep families in poverty, and help women, children, and communities thrive. These are not seasonal obligations, but ongoing commitments that reflect my deepest Jewish values.

That same call extends into our daily relationships. It’s in how we show up for family and friends, check in on a neighbor or colleague, or care for someone who is struggling. This quieter month reminds us that holiness lives not only in public acts of justice, but also in the everyday acts of kindness that strengthen our communities.

As a society, we excel at celebrating big milestones and victories. But organizing is steady, persistent work, rooted in the trust that when a tipping point moment comes, our efforts will ripple into lasting change. We must learn to appreciate each step forward, even the smallest ones, as reminders that progress is possible.

We learn this from our ancestors who wandered in the desert for forty years before reaching the Promised Land. The journey was long and often discouraging. Yet it was the quiet, unseen steps, those moments of persistence in the wilderness, that ultimately made arrival possible. Progress wasn’t only in crossing into the land; it was in each motion that carried them forward.

Sometimes those moments take forethought, like Miriam’s choice to pack her timbrels on the way out of Egypt. She knew they would need joy in the long, uncertain journey through the desert ahead. By bringing her instruments, she made sure there would be opportunity to create moments of celebration even in the midst of difficulty. Miriam teaches that joy is not a luxury, but a necessity. Celebrating the small moments toward the larger goal matters.

At National Council of Jewish Women, where I served as CEO for the past six and a half years, I saw this truth every day. Whether it was a local advocate testifying at a statehouse, a section president organizing carpools to a rally, a volunteer stocking shelves at a food pantry, or someone checking in on an elderly neighbor, these ways of showing up may not make headlines, but they are Cheshvan moments: quieter, less visible, and consistent. And these are the moments that make our communities better and create the ripples for larger change.

The High Holidays remind us who we strive to be. Cheshvan asks us to live it, with persistence, with hope, and with faith that every step forward helps build a better world.