Dr. Rakefet Ben-Yishay writes as follows:
“What’s next? One of the most difficult feelings, especially now, is that of uncertainty. People live without knowing what will happen next and search for something that will give them absolute answers regarding the future.
An ability to predict the future is based on the idea that everything is predetermined and we just need to figure out what is coming next in order to be ready for it. But the Torah opposes this idea. The Torah forbids turning to mystics, idol worshipers, or fortune tellers to inquire about what to expect.
Therefore we read these words last Shabbat in the Torah: “You shall be wholehearted with the Lord your God.” Don’t preoccupy yourself with investigating the future, but rather behave wholeheartedly and with integrity in the present.
Judaism promotes belief in free will, in the ability of people and nations to change, to fix what is broken, to choose a better way that will lead to a better future. The future for us is not a signed and sealed decree. The future depends on us, on our intentions and on our deeds.
This is the essence of the month of Elul, days of teshuvah, forgiveness, and atonement. Each year at this time we are granted a gift: the opportunity to improve and to change. God believes in us, that we are capable of change, and in these days he reaches out with special assistance to whoever wants to get close to Him.
So what’s next? The question really is: ‘What will we do next?’ This year in particular it is essential not to despair and to know that it is our actions alone that impact what happens next.