With the approach of the High Holidays, we must remember not to be alone

As the High Holidays approach, a rabbi reflects on the importance of community and avoiding isolation, drawing parallels to the Torah's commandment of met mitzvah, which obligates the community to bury a Jewish person who dies without family or affiliation. The rabbi recently officiated at the funerals of two such individuals who died alone, prompting a funeral director to exclaim, "Rabbi, the take-away lesson: Don’t die alone." The article highlights that the High Holidays, a time for self-reflection and reconciliation, underscore human mortality and the need for connection. Citing a 2025 APA survey, the author notes that over half of U.S. adults report feeling isolated, emphasizing the danger of emotional detachment. The piece encourages readers to use the sacred season of reconciliation to mend relationships and choose connection over isolation, echoing Leonard Cohen's lyric, "When you’re not feeling holy, your loneliness says that you’ve sinned."