During the month of Elul, with the High Holidays fast approaching, our focus turns to the topic of teshuvah - repentance. Sometimes, though, there are emotional and psychological impediments that can hinder or even prevent us from doing teshuvah, as the following anecdote illustrates:
A Rabbi once traveled to a distant town to speak on the subject of teshuva to the locals. He wanted to get across the point that we all will be called to task in heaven for our actions on this world. He warned, "Everyone in this community is eventually going to die. Therefore you must do teshuva before it is too late."
As his point was taken, he noticed that everyone in the room became somber except one man who was grinning. The Rabbi wondered why this man wasn't getting into the proper mood. He decided he should make the point stronger. "My good townsfolk, you must remember that sooner than you think, you are going to die. At that time you will be called to judgment in the heavenly court. All your sins will be revealed and discussed. It can be a horrific experience. Repent now." As the Rabbi looked around the room he saw people squirming uneasily and looking distressed. But, to the Rabbi's chagrin, he saw that the man who had been grinning was now chuckling.
The Rabbi realized that he was now going to have to pull out all the stops. "Members of this noble community, you must realize that your lives on this earth are only temporary - as fleeting as the shadow of a passing bird. Soon will come the frightening Day of Judgment. You will be brought before the heavenly tribunal whose judges you cannot bribe or deceive. All your innermost secrets will be presented and scrutinized by the court. Your feeble excuses will not work there like they do here. The judgment will be exacting. Your only chance is to repent now before it is too late."
At this point, everyone in the audience was turning white and trembling with fear. Everyone appeared as though they were about to faint, excepting the one man who by now was laughing out loud.
The Rabbi couldn't control himself and he asked the man why he was reacting this way. The man replied, "Because I am not a member of this community."
We often think that the call to teshuvah and to action is directed at everyone else, not at ourselves. We often feel that communal needs are someone else's responsibility, not ours. We need to free ourselves of this thinking, and then collectively accomplish more than we ever imagined possible. The whole of Am Yisrael is so much greater than the sum of its? parts.
A Rabbi once traveled to a distant town to speak on the subject of teshuva to the locals. He wanted to get across the point that we all will be called to task in heaven for our actions on this world. He warned, "Everyone in this community is eventually going to die. Therefore you must do teshuva before it is too late."
As his point was taken, he noticed that everyone in the room became somber except one man who was grinning. The Rabbi wondered why this man wasn't getting into the proper mood. He decided he should make the point stronger. "My good townsfolk, you must remember that sooner than you think, you are going to die. At that time you will be called to judgment in the heavenly court. All your sins will be revealed and discussed. It can be a horrific experience. Repent now." As the Rabbi looked around the room he saw people squirming uneasily and looking distressed. But, to the Rabbi's chagrin, he saw that the man who had been grinning was now chuckling.
The Rabbi realized that he was now going to have to pull out all the stops. "Members of this noble community, you must realize that your lives on this earth are only temporary - as fleeting as the shadow of a passing bird. Soon will come the frightening Day of Judgment. You will be brought before the heavenly tribunal whose judges you cannot bribe or deceive. All your innermost secrets will be presented and scrutinized by the court. Your feeble excuses will not work there like they do here. The judgment will be exacting. Your only chance is to repent now before it is too late."
At this point, everyone in the audience was turning white and trembling with fear. Everyone appeared as though they were about to faint, excepting the one man who by now was laughing out loud.
The Rabbi couldn't control himself and he asked the man why he was reacting this way. The man replied, "Because I am not a member of this community."
We often think that the call to teshuvah and to action is directed at everyone else, not at ourselves. We often feel that communal needs are someone else's responsibility, not ours. We need to free ourselves of this thinking, and then collectively accomplish more than we ever imagined possible. The whole of Am Yisrael is so much greater than the sum of its? parts.