TELL Magazine: October - November 2019

{CHANGES AND CHALLENGES}
Rabbi Rafi Kaiserblueth
I look at my sons, now aged 5, 3 and almost 1 year old, and then look back at their birth
photos; it is difficult for me to comprehend that these are the same people. How could
those tiny bundles of joy have morphed into these walking, babbling little people?
They were born as blank canvases,
and now, a few years later, they
are walking, talking (or beginning
to talk), becoming aware of the
world around them, and interacting
with it on their own terms.
These developments are so striking,
not only because of the speed in
which they are occurring, but also
because of the leaps and bounds in
which they are progressing. When
I haven’t seen a close friend or
relative for a significant period of
time, the difference in appearance
or character is much more obvious,
compared with someone I see
regularly. Does this then mean
that a significant change has not
occurred, or is it simply that I am
unable to perceive these changes?
The changes do not occur on a
day to day basis, but slowly over
time. Hair does not change colour
overnight; wrinkles do not appear
within a week; and personal growth
does not occur in a month. All
of these are continual processes
that are almost imperceptible if
viewed on a constant basis.
Every year, we gather together
during the High Holidays in order
to take an accounting of our souls,
a heshbon nefesh, from the previous
year, and to seek ways to improve
for the coming year. It can be a
profound change if taken seriously.
In this upcoming season we gather
in our community centre, the
Synagogue, where, surrounded
by one another, we focus on this
process. Together, we lift ourselves
up, and push one another to reach
ever-deeper depths of our inner
selves. But why there in shul? A
22
contemporary rabbi, Solomon
Goldman, replied to this question
with the following words:
"I come to the synagogue to probe
my weakness and my strength,
and to fill the gap between my
profession and my practice.
I come to lift myself by my bootstraps.
I come to quiet the turbulence of my
heart, restrain its mad impulsiveness
and check the itching eagerness
of every muscle to outsmart and
outdistance my neighbor.
I come for self-renewal
and regeneration.
I come into the sadness and
compassion permeating the
Synagogue to contemplate and be
instructed by the panorama of Jewish
martyrdom and human misery.
I come to be strengthened in my
determination to be free, never
to compromise with idolatry,
pettiness and fanaticism.
I come to behold the beauty of the
Lord, to find Him who put an
upward reach in the heart of man."
As the new spiritual year is
approaching, and we gather under
one roof in a solemn spiritual mood,
may we again be able to renew our
spiritual strengths. May we all dive
within ourselves and our loved ones,
to bring out the best and holy. May
we renew our bonds of love and care
towards those in need. May we face
the challenges of our daily life with
courage and determination, and may
we strengthen our commitment to
our Jewish People, our holy traditions
and the Source of all life - God.
Perhaps this year we will see one
another in a completely different
light, and with a profound change.
As together, we undertake this
process of heshbon nefesh, a spiritual
accounting of ourselves and our
actions, so that we can look at
each other in a year and without a
doubt, perceive the holiness we have
achieved, and the positive change
we have enacted in our lives.
Shana Tova Umetukah,
A Sweet and Happy New Year.