A REFLECTION ON THE TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE
BY RABBI JOEL REMBAUM, Rosh Hashanah 5779
LSHANAH TOVAH TIKATEIVU. MAY YOU BE INSCRIBED FOR A GOOD YEAR. WELCOME TO 5779 AND TO ASERET Y’MAI T’SHUVAH, THE TEN DAYS OF REPENTANCE.
SO, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT ON THIS FIRST DAY OF ASERET Y’MAI T’SHUVAH? I KNOW — AFTER ALL, I AM A RABBI. YOU ARE THINKING: THESE 5-DAY FRIDAY-TUESDAY SHABBAT — YOM TOV WEEKENDS ARE REALLY TOUGH. YOU ARE THINKING: THE RABBIS SHOULD RULE THAT THE JEWISH CALENDAR SHOULD BE RECALIBRATED SO THE FIRST OF TISHREI — A.K.A. ROSH HASHANAH — ALWAYS FALLS ON SHABBAT. THAT WAY ROSH HASHANAH, SUKKOT, AND SHMINI ATZERET-SIMHAT TORAH WOULD ALL FALL ON SHABBAT AND SUNDAY — NO MORE 5-DAY HOLIDAY WEEKENDS; NO MORE MISSED SCHOOL DAYS; NO MORE MISSED WORKING DAYS. RIGHT? —- SURE — DREAM ON….
BUT, I HAVE SOMETHING ELSE FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT OVER THE NEXT TEN DAYS — AND THIS IS WHAT THIS BOOK (HOLD UP MAHZOR) SUGGESTS YOU SERIOUSLY CONSIDER: YOUR LIFE AFTER YOM KIPPUR.
YES, THE THEME OF T’SHUVAH — REPENTANCE — DOMINATES THESE YAMIM NORAIM — THESE TEN AWESOME DAYS OF REPENTANCE. BUT THIS THEME IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE HIGH HOLIDAYS. I REMIND YOU: T’SHUVAH IS A DAILY MITZVAH. EVERY WEEKDAY, MULTIPLE TIMES DAILY, WE ASK GOD TO HELP US REPENT, AND WE ASK GOD FOR FORGIVENESS.
THERE IS, HOWEVER, SOMETHING WE SAY IN EVERY AMIDAH DURING THESE TEN DAYS THAT WE NEVER SAY WITH SUCH INTENSITY DURING THE REST OF THE YEAR: EVERY DAY, MORNING, NOON, AND NIGHT, QUIETLY AND REPEATED ALOUD, WE SAY THESE FOUR PRAYERS:
.זָכְרֵנוּ לְחַיִּים, מֶלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים, וְכָתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר הַחַיִּים, לְמַעַנְךָ אֱלהִים חַיִּים*
.מִי כָמוךָ אַב הָרַחֲמִים, זוכֵר יְצוּרָיו לְחַיִּים בְּרַחֲמִים*
.וּכְתב לְחַיִּים טובִים כָּל בְּנֵי בְרִיתֶךָ*
בְּסֵפֶר חַיִּים בְּרָכָה וְשָׁלום וּפַרְנָסָה טובָה, נִזָּכֵר וְנִכָּתֵב לְפָנֶיךָ — אֲנַחְנוּ וְכָל עַמְּךָ*
I SUMMARIZE: “PLEASE GOD OF LIFE, REMEMBER FOR LIFE AND INSCRIBE US FOR LIFE!”
SO DURING THE TEN DAYS WE ARE PLEADING WITH GOD FOR OUR LIVES.
THE ROOT OF THIS IS WHAT WE READ AND HENRY MORGEN SO BEAUTIFULLY INTERPRETED THIS PAST SHABBAT, IN DEUT. 30:15, WHERE GOD, THROUGH MOSES, SAYS —
:רְאֵה נָתַתִּי לְפָנֶיךָ הַיּוֹם, אֶת-הַחַיִּים וְאֶת-הַטּוֹב, וְאֶת-הַמָּוֶת וְאֶת-הָרָע
“BEHOLD, I PLACE BEFORE YOU TODAY, LIFE AND GOOD, AND DEATH AND BAD.”
THIS IS THE BACKGROUND BEHIND OUR LITURGY. I SUGGEST A METAPHOR: THE JUDGE SAYS: HERE IS THE SCALE, AND HERE ARE THE BOOKS. WHAT YOU PUT IN THE CUPS OF THE SCALE WILL DETERMINE WHAT WILL BE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS. LIFE AND DEATH HANG IN BALANCE.
SOME FOLKS TAKE THIS LITERALLY. THEY BELIEVE IN THE CAUSE AND EFFECT IDEOLOGY EMBEDDED IN OUR ANCIENT TEXTS. THEY SAY “WHAT I DO HAS AN IMMEDIATE EFFECT ON MY LIFE.” IF GOOD ACTS RESULT IN GOOD OUTCOMES THEY SAY, “TODAH LA-EL,” “THANKS BE TO GOD.” IF GOOD ACTS RESULT IN BAD OUTCOMES, THEY SAY, “BARUKH HA-SHEM,” “BLESSED BE GOD,” AND THEY FIND EXPLANATIONS FOR WHY THIS HAPPENED IN THE MINUTIA OF THEIR LIVES. OR THEY SIMPLY SAY: “IT IS THE WILL OF GOD, SO THERE MUST BE A GOOD REASON THAT IS BEYOND MY UNDERSTANDING.”
I THINK MOST OF US ARE SKEPTICAL OF SUCH PROXIMATE CAUSALITY. NEVERTHELESS, IT IS HARD TO IGNORE THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOW PLEADING FOR OUR LIVES OVER AND OVER, EVERY DAY FOR TEN DAYS. I THINK WE ALL REALIZE SOMEONE IS TRYING TO TELL US SOMETHING: THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!
BUT, I ALSO THINK MANY OF US UNDERSTAND THAT THESE PLEAS ARE ALSO DIRECTED TOWARD OURSELVES, REMINDING US —
*THAT WE CAN PLEAD WITH GOD BECAUSE WE BELIEVE GOD IS FIRST AND FOREMOST A LOVING AND COMPASSIONATE GOD WHO DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE OUR LIVES;
*THAT WE ARE ALIVE AND ABLE TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE WE HAVE DONE TO OUR LIVES AND THOSE OF OTHERS;
*THAT OUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF OUR LOVED ONES AND OF ALL PEOPLE ARE PRECIOUS, AND WE HAVE TO TAKE THIS SERIOUSLY SO WE CAN OVERCOME OUR ANGER WHEN SOMEONE HAS HURT US;
*THAT JUST AS WE PLEAD FOR FORGIVENESS FROM GOD, WE MUST PLEAD FOR FORGIVENESS FROM PEOPLE;
*THAT JUST AS WE HOPE GOD WILL FORGIVE US, SO SHOULD WE FORGIVE OTHERS.
SO, WHILE THESE PRAYERS ARE ADDRESSED TO GOD, I SAY THEY ARE ALSO PLEAS TO OURSELVES TO HAVE FAITH IN OUR AND OTHERS’ ABILITY TO CHANGE OUR WAYS AND LIVE BETTER. THEY ARE ALSO PLEAS TO OURSELVES TO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT WE AND OTHERS ARE HAYYIM — ALIVE — AND ABLE TO SEEK OUT THE IMAGE OF GOD WITHIN OURSELVES AND OTHERS, AND TO EMULATE GOD IN HOW WE ACT.
OVER THE COURSE OF THE TEN DAYS WE ARE SUPPOSED TO GET INTO OUR METAPHOR AND REALIZE THAT THE JUDGE HAS ALSO HANDED US THE BOOKS AND THE PEN. WE WILL DO THE WRITING BY HOW WE TALK, HOW WE ACT, AND HOW WE FEEL. AND, DURING THESE DAYS GOD WANTS US NOT TO THINK SO MUCH ABOUT IF WE WILL LIVE THROUGH 5779, BUT RATHER HOW WE WILL LIVE OUR LIVES OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR.
*WILL WE JOIN WITH OTHERS IN REPAIRING WHAT WE BROKE LAST YEAR?
*WILL WE HOLD THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO HURT US AND WHOM WE HURT, RECOGNIZING THAT WE ALL DO BAD THINGS AND GOOD THINGS?
*WILL WE REACH OUT TO GOD AND ALLOW GOD TO BECOME MORE A PART OF OUR LIVES?
*WILL WE SAY “THANK YOU GOD FOR YOUR BLESSINGS” AND NOT JUST “PLEASE GOD HELP ME”?
*WILL WE COME TO REALIZE THAT FOR ALL OUR INTELLIGENCE, THERE IS SO MUCH WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND — ABOUT OURSELVES, ABOUT OTHERS, ABOUT THE UNIVERSE, ABOUT GOD — AND, THEREFORE, ACT WITH A BIT MORE HUMILITY AND PATIENCE?
*WILL WE RECOGNIZE THAT OUR PHYSICAL LIVES HAVE A LIMIT, AND, THEREFORE, NOW — WHILE WE ARE ABLE — IS THE TIME TO FILL OUR LIVES WITH MEANING, WITH GOODNESS, WITH GODLINESS, AND WITH HOLINESS?
THIS SHOULD BE OUR JOB FOR 5779 — AND EVERY YEAR.
I PRAY THAT WE WILL DO OUR JOB AND TRULY LIVE IN 5779 AND FULFILL MOSES’ WORDS, WHICH WE ALSO READ ON SHABBAT (DEUT. 30:19-20) —
,וּבָחַרְתָּ בַּחַיִּים–לְמַעַן תִּחְיֶה, אַתָּה וְזַרְעֶךָ: לְאַהֲבָה אֶת-יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ…
….לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקֹלוֹ, וּלְדָבְקָה-בוֹ
“CHOOSE LIFE SO THAT YOU CAN TRULY LIVE — YOU AND YOUR DESCENDANTS — BY LOVING GOD, HEARING (AND LISTENING TO) GOD’S VOICE, AND CLINGING TO GOD.” AND, I ADD, BY LOVING PEOPLE, BY HEARING (AND LISTENING TO) THEIR VOICES, AND BY HOLDING THEM CLOSE. AMEN.
SHANAH TOVAH.