One Small Act: Elul 10

Exploring Judaism

September 3, 2025

Teshuvah can feel overwhelming when imagined as a total life overhaul. But our tradition grounds us in the power of small, daily practice. The TalmudReferring to one of two collections, the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds, edited in the 6th century, that contains hundreds of years of commentary, discussion, and exploration of the ideas in the Mishnah. One could describe it as Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud Read more (Kiddushin 40b) teaches: “A person should view themselves as half meritorious and half guilty”: our actions in full balance, good and bad—”if one performs a mitzvah, it tips the balance to good.” This reminds us: one act matters.

Choose one small practice today: gratitude, kindness, honesty. Let that act be enough to tip the balance for you and for the world.

Kavanah: Let one small act today carry great weight.

Explore the full Elul intentions here.

Authors

Exploring Judaism

Exploring Judaism is the digital home for Conservative/Masorti Judaism, embracing the beauty and complexity of Judaism, and our personal search for meaning, learning, and connecting. Our goal is to create content based on three core framing: Meaning-Making (Why?), Practical Living (How?), and Explainers (What?).
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Rabbi Jeremy Markiz

Rabbi Jeremy Markiz is a teacher and consultant. Based in the Washington, DC area, he teaches the TorahRefers to the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Tanakh, also called the Five Books of Moses, Pentateuch or the Hebrew equivalent, Humash. This is also called the Written Torah. The term may also refer to teachings that expound on Jewish tradition. Read more of personal growth, meaning and intentionality, and making the world a better place. He writes a newsletter called, With Torah and Love. Rabbi Markiz helps clergy, congregations, and Jewish organizations grow and communicate clearly in the digital world, develop effective strategies, and solve problems with his consulting firm, Next Level Rabbinics.
View all posts

Authors

Exploring Judaism

Exploring Judaism is the digital home for Conservative/Masorti Judaism, embracing the beauty and complexity of Judaism, and our personal search for meaning, learning, and connecting. Our goal is to create content based on three core framing: Meaning-Making (Why?), Practical Living (How?), and Explainers (What?).
Rabbi Jeremy Markiz

Rabbi Jeremy Markiz is a teacher and consultant. Based in the Washington, DC area, he teaches the Torah of personal growth, meaning and intentionality, and making the world a better place. He writes a newsletter called, With Torah and Love. Rabbi Markiz helps clergy, congregations, and Jewish organizations grow and communicate clearly in the digital world, develop effective strategies, and solve problems with his consulting firm, Next Level Rabbinics.

Post categories: Elul, Elul Intentions, Holidays

Post tags: Elul 5786, Human Interactions, Mitzvah, Mitzvot, Reflection, Self-Reflection, teshuva, Teshuvah