- Jun 19, 2009
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Tonight starts Rosh Hashanah and around this time I like to teach a lesson about the holiday.
Sometimes in life, there are situations that we would prefer not to deal with.
Maybe it's a problem that we just can't come to terms with, or a habit which we can't seem to kick.
It's tough to admit that we're less than perfect, that we need help.
An ostrich buries its head in the sand and hides, the dog that knows he did wrong in relieving himself
on your carpet whimpers behind the easy chair trying to hide from his master in shame.
Why is it so difficult for us to admit what we do? Ego, fear, feelings of inadequacy?
What drives us to hide and pretend it doesn't exist or worse displace blame?
During this holiday celebrating the New Year we reflect on how to make our lives more 'whole' and 'complete' ('Shalem').
We must use this reflection to remove that barrier and protective covering that we build around ourselves when we hide from
our issues and therefore from addressing them and improving ourselves and our society around us.
During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we involve ourselves in an introspective process to free ourselves of that avoidance nature
and this self judgment and atonement process is called, in Hebrew, 'Teshuva'.
A reflection returning us to reality. Taking our heads out of the sand, dropping our frail human ego,
and taking us from our hiding from behind the couch to face our master.
Sometimes in life, there are situations that we would prefer not to deal with.
Maybe it's a problem that we just can't come to terms with, or a habit which we can't seem to kick.
It's tough to admit that we're less than perfect, that we need help.
An ostrich buries its head in the sand and hides, the dog that knows he did wrong in relieving himself
on your carpet whimpers behind the easy chair trying to hide from his master in shame.
Why is it so difficult for us to admit what we do? Ego, fear, feelings of inadequacy?
What drives us to hide and pretend it doesn't exist or worse displace blame?
During this holiday celebrating the New Year we reflect on how to make our lives more 'whole' and 'complete' ('Shalem').
We must use this reflection to remove that barrier and protective covering that we build around ourselves when we hide from
our issues and therefore from addressing them and improving ourselves and our society around us.
During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, we involve ourselves in an introspective process to free ourselves of that avoidance nature
and this self judgment and atonement process is called, in Hebrew, 'Teshuva'.
A reflection returning us to reality. Taking our heads out of the sand, dropping our frail human ego,
and taking us from our hiding from behind the couch to face our master.
