From the Desk of Jan Burman: From Confession to Construction

Yom Kippur’s Lessons for Community Builders

The holiest day in the Jewish calendar, Yom Kippur challenges us to confront our failings with unprecedented honesty while embracing the transformative power of genuine repentance. For those of us whose work shapes the communities where families lives, work, and grow, this day of atonement offers profound guidance for building not just better buildings, but better relationships with the communities we serve.

The Courage of Honest Assessment

Yom Kippur demands what might be the most difficult form of honesty — acknowledging where we’ve fallen short of our own values and commitments. In the development industry, this honest assessment requires examining not just financial outcomes but our broader impact on communities, families, and the environment.

This examination goes beyond reviewing compliance with regulations to ask deeper questions about community benefit. Have our projects genuinely enhanced neighborhood character, or have they primarily extracted value? Do our developments serve diverse populations, or do they cater exclusively to those who can afford luxury amenities?

The tradition of honest confession creates space for acknowledging specific shortcomings without self-condemnation. Perhaps we’ve prioritized speed over community engagement. Maybe we’ve overlooked environmental concerns in pursuit of profit. Or we’ve failed to adequately consider the needs of existing residents when planning new developments.

The Difficulty of Development Decisions

Yom Kippur recognizes that even well-intentioned people sometimes cause harm through their actions. This wisdom applies directly to development work, where complex projects involving multiple stakeholders inevitably create tensions and trade-offs that don’t always satisfy everyone involved.

Sometimes community concerns conflict with financial viability. Environmental protection may clash with housing affordability goals. Individual property rights may conflict with broader community needs. This day’s framework provides tools for navigating these moral complexities with greater wisdom and humility.

The tradition teaches that recognizing these moral complexities doesn’t excuse harmful outcomes, but it does create space for learning and improvement. Each project offers opportunities to better balance competing interests and serve a broader community.

Seeking Forgiveness from Those We’ve Affected

The tradition of seeking forgiveness from those we’ve wronged has direct application to community relationships. When development decisions create legitimate concerns or tensions, addressing them honestly and working toward resolution strengthens both projects and partnerships.

This might involve acknowledging where community input wasn’t adequately considered, where environmental impacts were greater than anticipated, or where construction disruptions exceeded expectations. The goal isn’t perfect but honest communication and genuine effort to address concerns.

Sometimes seeking forgiveness requires concrete actions — modifying future phases of development, contributing to community amenities, or changing practices that created problems. The tradition emphasizes that words alone aren’t sufficient without corresponding changes in behavior.

The Possibility of Transformation

Perhaps the most powerful message of this holy day is that genuine transformation remains possible regardless of past mistakes. The tradition teaches that sincere repentance can create new possibilities for service and contribution, even after significant failures.

For developers, this transformation might involve fundamental changes in how e approach community engagement, environmental stewardship, or affordable housing. It could mean seeking training in areas where our knowledge has been insufficient or partnering with organizations that bring expertise we lack.

The concept of repairing the world provides a framework for understanding development work as contributing to broader social healing and improvement. Each project offers opportunities to address community needs and contribute to regional solutions for housing, economic development and environmental challenges.

Building Bridges Through Understanding

This day’s emphasis on reconciliation offers guidance for rebuilding trust when community relationships have been strained. This reconciliation requires genuine effort to understand different perspectives and find common ground for moving forward.

This understanding might involve spending time in communities affected by our projects, learning about local history and culture, and developing relationships beyond formal public hearings. Deep community engagement takes time and resources, but it creates better outcomes for everyone involved.

The tradition also emphasizes humility — acknowledging that community members often understand local needs and conditions better than outside developers. This humility creates space for genuine partnership rather than mere consultation.

Professional Growth Through Personal Development

Yom Kippur connects personal moral development with professional competence. Becoming better developers requires not just improving technical skills but also growing in wisdom, empathy, and commitment to service.

This growth involves seeking out diverse perspectives, learning from community advocates and critics, and honestly examining our own motivations and blind spots. Professional excellence includes moral excellence.

The tradition of lifelong learning applies to understanding community needs, environmental challenges, and best practices in sustainable development. Staying curious and open to new ideas serves both our communities and our businesses.

Concrete Commitments for Change

The tradition emphasizes that genuine repentance requires specific commitments for changed behavior. Vague promises of improvement aren’t sufficient without concrete plans for implementation.

Our commitments for the coming year include expanding affordable housing components in appropriate projects, strengthening environmental protection measures, and deepening our community engagement processes. We also commit to supporting local businesses and contractors whenever possible and increasing our charitable contributions to organizations serving community needs.

These commitments require accountability measures and regular assessment to ensure follow-through. This season teaches that good intentions without sustained action don’t constitute genuine repentance.

Sacred Work in Secular Spaces

Yom Kippur reminds us that all work affecting human welfare carries moral significance. Building communities isn’t just about construction — it’s about creating spaces where families can flourish, where neighbors can connect, and where people can age with dignity.

This perspective elevates our daily work beyond mere business transactions to participation in the sacred task of community building. With this recognition comes both inspiration and responsibility for ensuring our work serves the highest possible purposes.

As the holiest day concludes and we enter the new year with renewed commitment, we carry forward both the lessons learned and the relationships renewed. May our work in the coming year better reflect the values of justice, compassion, and service that Yom Kippur inspires.

We wish all who observe a meaningful conclusion to this sacred day.