By Rabbi David Jaffe
The introspection and Teshuvah of this period of Elul and the High Holy Days matches, on a spiritual level, the deep need for Tikkun/Repair in the wider world, with the increasingly dangerous situation in Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, in Sudan, and many other places including the rising political violence in the United States. The need for Teshuvah and Tikkun is clear. And yet, the two days of Rosh Hashanah, from Wednesday evening October 2nd through Friday afternoon October 4th offer a unique and crucial spiritual opportunity for something a bit different that, ultimately, is also essential for Tikkun/repair.
In the Breslov Chassidic tradition, Rosh Hashana is the most important holy day, because it is the time of beginnings. Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (d. 1810, Ukraine) taught that just as the mind is so central to how the body works, so Rosh Hashanah, the head of the year, is central to the entire year. For this reason, he encouraged his students to focus their minds during the two days of the holy day on good thoughts and on healthy, positive desires for the coming year.
I realize it can feel jarring to focus on good thoughts and our biggest desires for the world in the presence of so much suffering. For these two days, it is that trusting and positive spiritual, emotional, and mental orientation that creates the inner conditions necessary to work towards alleviating all this destruction and suffering the rest of the year. To that end, I encourage all of us, from Wednesday evening through Friday afternoon, to focus our minds and prayers on our lives as they could be, on our relationships as they could be, on this world as it could be.
There is a time for Teshuvah - for working on how to fix where we may have missed the mark this past year. That time is during Elul and during the days of Teshuvah following Rosh Hashana, culminating on Yom Kippur. But for these two days, let’s focus our minds and hearts on the flourishing, health, joy, connection and more that we yearn for in all areas of our lives.
May the Ratzon/soul desire we evoke over these holy days sprout into reality in the coming year.
I’ll end with a blessing I received from Israeli friends who lost a close relative in the war earlier this year: May this be a year of happy, sweet surprises.
L’shana Tova,
David
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