The blowing of the shofar, traditionally done on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

As the Jewish New Year comes and goes, it offers us an opportunity for reflection. This is not merely the kind of reflection where we think about how to be more productive, more efficient, or more “on top of things.”

Too often, when we speak about “resolutions,” they revolve around being more industrious, more organized, and ultimately, more busy. But here is a paradox: perhaps what we truly need is to become less busy.

For the past two years, as Israel has fought for its very survival, and the Diaspora has been challenged with its own war to defend itself, there has been a pattern that repeats itself with stunning consistency. In far too many cases, Jewish people are asked to show up, to speak up, and to fight back– and the most common answer is: “I’m really busy.”

Busy with work. Busy with holidays. Busy with vacations. Busy with their children’s endless schedules. Busy before the holiday, then busy catching up afterward. Busy with social obligations, with dinners, with games, with errands, and social media. Always busy.

This culture of being perpetually busy is not harmless. It is costly. It has created a generation of adults who allow their personal schedules — and even their children’s endless schedules — to overshadow their responsibilities to their people and their communities.

Meanwhile, the world has changed in ways that demand vigilance. Antisemitism has exploded in the United States. Universities, once seen as safe havens for Jewish advancement, now host open hostility. Social media spreads lies and venom about Israel and Jews every single hour.

And through all of this, Jews are still telling each other they are “too busy” to fight back.

This is not simply a matter of personal choice. It is a matter of collective survival.

We cannot keep living as if our time belongs only to ourselves and our families. Every hour of every day is not just “my time.” It is not just “family time.” We have responsibilities beyond that — to our people, our history, and our future. To show up. To push back. To build institutions. To support Israel. To fight.

We are in the beginning stages of the 15 year war for the future of Jewish stability in the Diaspora. This war started two years ago and will continue on long after the last bullet is fired in Gaza.

What we do now on social media, on the streets, and in the court of public opinion will determine the outcome of this war. There is not one way to contribute — there are many. Choose a way, and commit your time to it.

So as this New Year begins, I suggest a resolution that runs against the cultural grain: let us all become less busy, and instead, let us become more purposeful. More deliberate. More willing to carve out time for what truly matters.

If we fail to do this, the cost will not only be personal. It will affect future generations. It will be Jewish history repeating itself in ways we do not want to see.

Our enemies have been fighting for 30 years, and now it is our turn to act.  It is our turn to tell our story, and our turn to get comfortable in our uncomfortability.

Each of us is responsible. Each of us must play our part. If we choose to remain “too busy,” the burden falls on someone else — until there is no one left to carry it. But if we reimagine our lives and reorder our priorities, we will not only strengthen Israel and the Jewish people, but we will strengthen ourselves.

Daniel Rosen is the Co-founder of a Non-profit Technology company called Emissary4all which is an app to organize people on social media by ideology not geography. He is the Co-host of the podcast “Recalibration.” You can reach him at drosen@emissary4all.org