As the Days of Awe and Repentance approach, Jews around the world focus on self-improvement - and the question is asked: In the course of one's self-improvement program during the days leading up to Yom Kippur, should one concentrate on personal improvement, or on contributions to society at large?
The weekly publication of Komemiyut (lit., upright), an organization dedicated to encouraging the Jewish People to stand upright on behalf of the Torah, Land and Nation, asks this question in its most recent edition, and brings replies from three leading rabbis.
Two of the rabbis provide views from opposing angles. Rabbi Michael Hershkovitz's response is entitled, "Improving the Individual is in the Public Interest," while Rabbi Aryeh Hendler's is called, "Improving Society is in the Individual's Interest."
Rabbi Hershkovitz, the rabbi of the town of Neriah and a lecturer at Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav in Jerusalem, notes that in the Yom Kippur atonement service, the High Priest first atones for his own sins and those of his family, then for those of his fellow priests, and in the end, for the iniquities of the entire Nation of Israel.
"Our Sages have taught," Rabbi Hershkovitz continues, "that one must not pray in the first-person singular, but must rather include himself in the public and pray in the plural... The Talmud says that if two people went to pray and one finished first and didn't wait for the other, his prayers are ripped up in his face. The saintly Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook explained that this is because one's prayer is not accepted if it is meant only for his own benefit; one who does not wait for his friend, thereby shows that he did not have his friend's interest at all in mind during his prayer, and his prayer is therefore ripped up."
"However," Rabbi Hershkovitz goes on to say, "it must be remembered that to improve society, its individuals must be improved. If one refrains from working on himself, out of a fear that he is thus estranging himself from society, he will end up hurting his ability to benefit the larger group, and will withhold from society his own perfection."
In conclusion, "One's contributions to society are not measured in the amount of time s/he dedicates, but rather in the quality. An hour's worth of work for the public good that is done with a healthy mind and body is worth more than more frequent activity that weakens the body and consumes too much of one's spiritual strength."
Rabbi Hendler, the Vice Dean of Yeshivat Shaalvim, emphasizes the other side of the coin. Quoting the late Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler, he writes, "A person can be judged on his own individual merits, and might be found liable. But if he is judged as part of the society in which he belongs, and in the context of all those he helped or who need him, it might be unjust to penalize him - for all those who are connected with him or who need him, why must they suffer? ... Rabbi Dessler therefore urged his students to deal with both the spiritual and material needs of their communities."
"These days preceding the trial of each and every person before the Master of the Universe," Rabbi Hendler concludes, "must be days of giving to our communities, and of forging strong bonds with the Nation of Israel - bonds that will lead to our meriting, individually and collectively, a Ktivah VaChatimah Tovah [affirmative judgment]."
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, takes the middle ground: "If one does not lessen his own personal service of G-d, he is permitted to 'multiply his profits,' so to speak, by working to bring others towards a recognition of G-d - for then their good deeds will be counted in his merit as well. However, there are certain exceptions. For one thing, when it comes to Biblical prohibitions, one must give his own sins precedence; i.e., he must make sure to improve himself before going out to teach others. Otherwise, people will say to him, 'Before telling us what to do, improve yourself first!'"
Other areas in which one must work on himself before working with others, Rabbi Eliyahu writes, include specific commandments such as Tefillin, which one must fulfill himself before encouraging others to do so. The study of Torah, too; he must give a tenth of his time for others, while using the rest to study Torah and improve himself and strengthen his awe of Heaven. In addition, regarding repentance of past mistakes, one must work on himself first - whereas regarding charity, for instance, it is better and more effective to spend one's time getting others to give charity rather than to merely give himself.
All agree that these days are specially designed for introspection, prayer, and improvement, with the goal of being worthy of a blessed and joyous new year.