Once more in the Holyday season

We are halfway through the month of Elul and so the High Holydays are looming in the immediate future. The years seem to go by so fast for me these days, and it always seems to be the Holyday season. At this time of year, we’re supposed to be searching our souls – going back over our memories, deciding whether there are thoughts or behaviors or actions/inactions that we would want to change or improve upon for the next year, and in general charting a path from where we are at present to the kind of person we would like to become.

One of the most discouraging aspects of this endeavor is how seldom the list changes very much from year to year. I know that I find on my list each time לשון הרע, or evil tongue – speaking ill of somebody, hurting feelings or damaging reputations, usually in a careless rather than malicious moment. The words spoken are true but completely unnecessary. My Mussar practices of humility and silence – I should really say only what needs to be said – does not always help me avoid these situations. Sometimes I find myself already gossiping around the table at the break-the-fast, minutes after the shofar has blown at the end of Yom Kippur. We are all works in progress. We strive to improve ourselves but should not be aiming at perfection. Being a better person, thinking and behaving more of the time in a way that makes me proud of myself, is a more attainable goal.

On the whole, we all need to keep in mind how our minds tend to magnify and focus more on the negative. I first learned this way back in my college days, when I would remember the questions that I had gotten wrong on a test and decide that I had failed the test. You may have been the same. You may also subscribe to the expression that “I am my own worst enemy” – it is frequently heard or read for a reason. Nobody is as critical of you as you yourself are, and others remember far more good things about you than you likely do.

Another way of taking stock at this time of year is to look at actions and inactions, not only in personal settings, but also in light of the notion of תיקון עולם, repairing (improving) the world. We might each have issues that matter to us most. For me, it is the environment. I know that we were appointed to serve as stewards of this beautiful planet, and yet instead we waste its resources and pollute the air, water, and land with our careless behavior. In this realm, it’s inaction that I contemplate – have I done enough to help preserve the planet that has been our home? Have I made a point of sharing my views with others so that others too can take such actions? Have I communicated sufficiently with decision-makers so that some of our most egregious behaviors can be curtailed by more stringent laws?

This is a huge issue. I am overwhelmed when I think about it and ponder what I can do personally. It is too big! Behaviors are too pervasive! Perhaps we have already gone too far and the damage is irreversible! The task is daunting. More than I can even conceive. I don’t have any idea where to begin, and I believe deep in my heart that I can’t really make a dent in the problem, that nothing I do will be worth anything anyway.

Our sages knew this about human nature, and so they said in the Mishnah (Pirke Avot chapter 2): “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but neither are you free to desist from it.” Something that lies in front of you might be too big to do. You will have little impact on the problem and can’t possibly live long enough to resolve it entirely. This quotation lets you off the hook in that sense – you cannot be expected to finish something completely. There is work for future generations as well. BUT the fact that you can’t finish the job is not a reason for not pitching in and starting it, doing what you can. Whatever your issue is, whatever matters most to you, try in this year ahead to become more active. You believe in a cause, so put your energy into improving the world in its name. Joining together with other people will of course have far more of an impact than if you do something alone, so you might be able to find an organization of like-minded people who are passionate about working on the same issues that matter so much to you. But regardless – jump in! Do what you can. At least get started and see where things go from there.

I wish you and yours a good year ahead – a year of health, happiness, joy with family and friends, productivity, and a giant step ahead in the direction that you want to go.

לְשָׁנָה טוֹבָה תִכָּתֵבוּ וְתֵּחָתֵמו .

May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life.