We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
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Letter To My Son (on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, 1831):
To my beloved son, Isaac, may his light shine;
May the Almighty strengthen your heart and move you on the great and fearful day of Rosh Hashanah which is appraching, that you may make it your purpose henceforth to renew yourself each day for good. Do not lose a day without a period of solitary meditation, during which you will contemplate your ultimate purpose. Snatch each day as much study of Torah, prayer and good deeds as you will be able to steal from this passing shade, this vanity of vanities, this evanescent cloud. Remember well that all our days are nothing. Every man can snatch in them some piece of eternity on some level.
In the Talmud is written: "In the place where repentant sinners stand perfect saints cannot stand." The estate of the repentant sinner is even higher than that of the perfect saint. The repentant sinner had to struggle more fiercely to subdue their evil inclination.
Bird Dog alerted me to this delightful video. Among all the seriousness, we still find ways to have fun. Fun often transmits messages just as well.
A note about understanding "Shana Tovah", the traditional Jewish New Year's greeting: Literally, it means a good new year. Many, however, offer it as a happy new year. But, happiness is not an accurate measure of goodness. Further, "shana" as a verb can mean change. What we work for is to change for the better.
Repost below from 2009:
Be a light unto the world
The
ten day period from Rosh Hashanah, beginning tonight, through Yom
Kippur is often called the Ten Days Of Repentance or Penitence or
Atonement, but the term High Holidays emphasizes the personal, inward
looking nature of this time, our highest obligation being
self-responsibility for our thoughts and deeds.The repeated blowing of the Shofar symbolizes the sounds from Mount Sinai
in the 40-days until receiving the Ten Commandments, the Israelites
trembling in awe, hence another name for the holidays Days Of Awe.
Central to the High Holidays is Teshuvah, or return.Sincere,
complete Teshuvah allows us to begin anew, our sins forgiven, and to be
our mission as the light unto others. Teshuvah, according to
Maimonides, requires four steps:
1. Leaving the Sin Leaving
the sin consists of stopping the commission of the sinful act. One
cannot do Teshuvah if one continues to do the sin, even if he or she
were to perform the next three steps perfectly.
2. Regret Regret consists in sincerely regretting one's wrong action. One must be genuinely ashamed and embarrassed over one's sins.
3. Confession Before G-d Acceptance for the future consists of resolving in one's heart never to commit the sin ever again.
4. Acceptance for the Future Confession
before G-d consists of an oral confession spoken out loud, in which one
formulates in words the commitments and attitudes one has reached in
his or her heart. One should say, "I have sinned, I have done such and
such; I deeply regret my actions, and I declare before G-d, Who knows my
innermost thoughts, that I will never do this sin again."
But...
1.
The above steps only work for sins committed against G-d; for sins
committed against other people, one must first ask forgiveness from that
person before G-d will accept the Teshuvah.
This
is the source of the practice by many Jews to contact all of their
family, friends and co-workers during this period to ask for forgiveness
for anything we may have done to upset them during the past year(s).
2.
These four steps are of course only valid if we do Teshuvah AFTER THE
FACT. One cannot say in advance - "I can do this sin, then do Teshuvah
and He will forgive me..." It simply doesn't work that way as it may in
other belief systems
On the other hand...
One
should keep in mind that Teshuvah is an ongoing process that cannot be
accomplished overnight. No matter how many times a person may stumble in
the Teshuvah process, that person has to simply pick him or herself up
and keep trying to stay on the right path.
What G-d is really looking for is the sincerity of the effort that a person puts into their Teshuvah!
Near
the conclusion of Yom Kippur we fervently implore G-d to have heard our
sincerity, in the prayer Neilah, that ends with Thou desirest the
repentance of the wicked and not their death, as it is written: Have I
any desire, says the Lord, for the death of the wicked man? Would I not
rather that he should mend his ways and live?"
This
Roman rite prayer book, printed by Joshua Solomon Soncino in 1486, is
one of the earliest published. Volume 2, containing the prayer for the
High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of
Atonement), is open to a penitential prayer in the fifth and final
service of the Day of Atonement, Ne'ilah (the closing of
the gates). It begins: "Thou stretcheth forth thy hand to the sinner,
and thy right hand is open to receive the repentant." It is the only
prayer printed in large type throughout. Could this have been done with
Marronos in mind, those who had been forcibly converted but retained
loyalty to the ancestral faith?
Mahzor Minhag Roma (A Prayer Book of the Roman Rite), Casalmaggiore, 1486. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress
If you think Teshuvah is an easy task, just consider the sins listed in the oft-repeated prayer Al Chet, as we traditionally pound our chest.
We greet each other at the start of the High Holidays with L'shanah
tovah tikatev v'taihatem (or to women, L'shanah tovah tikatevi
v'taihatemi), which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good
year."The inscribed refers to the Book Of Life, the judgments of G-d being sealed upon each at the close of Yom Kippur.Go back and review the sins list again, and again, and Return to the righteous path G-d desires of us and we of each other.
