40 Days to Change: One Habit That Can Transform Your New Year Rabbi Mendel Kaplan Jul 31, 2026 #RoshHashanah #Elul #JewishInspiration What can change in 40 days? Our Sages teach that Moshe Rabbeinu spent three separate periods of 40 days on Mount Sinai—devoted to Torah, tefillah, and teshuvah. The final 40 days, beginning on Rosh Chodesh Elul and culminating on Yom Kippur, became days of Divine grace, forgiveness, and spiritual renewal. In this inspiring message, Rabbi Mendel Kaplan explains why preparation for Rosh Hashanah begins even earlier. Chof Av marks 40 days before the New Year—an opportunity to choose one negative habit to break or one positive habit to build. Lasting transformation does not always begin with a dramatic gesture. It begins with one decision, one mitzvah, and one small change repeated consistently. Those seemingly minor choices can reshape our lives, prepare us to receive Hashem’s blessings, and help bring the ultimate transformation—the coming of M...