Notes from Cantor Avima

I do not have an engagement ring. My husband opted for a necklace. He had a necklace made with part of a verse from Proverbs 3:3 which  loosely translates to "Chesed (loving kindness) and truth, they will not abandon you; Tie them  around your neck..."  In other words: speak words of chesed and loving kindness.  There are two times in the year when I tend to wear this necklace. One is, of course around our wedding anniversary. The other is the period of time leading into the high holidays. The proverb reminds me that speech is important both between spouses and in all other relationships. Although I would like to aspire to loving and truthful speech all the time, I fall short on a daily basis. It is no wonder that many of the sins we confess on Yom Kippur are sins of speech. I asked google what is the average number of words an individual speaks a day. The answer? Anywhere from 7,000 to 20,000 words. That is a lot of opportunity to say the wrong words (or the right words). As we move towards Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, I will try to string words of kindness and truth around my neck.