Rabbi Dov Peretz Elkins shares a story that helps us in our preparation for the New Year:
After a long, hard climb up the mountain, the spiritual seekers finally found themselves in front of the great teacher. Bowing deeply, they asked the question that had been burning inside them for so long: “How do we become wise?”
There was a long pause until the teacher emerged from meditation. Finally the reply came: “Good choices.”
“But teacher, how do we make good choices?”
“From experience,” responded the wise one.
“And how do we get experience?”
“Bad choices” smiled the teacher.
We have all made mistakes in the year that has passed. We have made good choices and bad choices. Our tradition gives us the opportunity every Elul to reflect on those decisions as we prepare for the Days of Awe. This Shabbat, I invite you to reflect on some of the choices you’ve made since last Rosh Hashanah. Join us online for worship tonight or for our Selichot services tomorrow evening. Our mistakes can help us to grow but only when we take the time to consider the choices we’ve made, commit ourselves to doing better going forward, and then change our behavior accordingly so that we will improve in the year to come.
— Rabbi Yoshi Zweiback
