There are moments in life that change us. Sometimes they’re big and obvious, like the birth of a child or your wedding day. Other times, they’re subtle: a sentence we hear in a class, a quiet moment of prayer, or a walk through breathtaking nature.
Not because everything flipped upside down, but because something meaningful opened up. A new layer of understanding. A new way of being.
In the spirit of the season, as we focus on the Holy Temple, I was studying how one of the most powerful of these moments took place when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies. He entered on behalf of the entire Jewish people, and the experience was so profound that he never left that space the same person who had walked in.
In fact, Jewish law forbade him from wearing the same garments again for that ritual the following year. Why? Because those clothes belonged to last year’s version of himself. And he was no longer that person.
Of course, most of us are not High Priests. But we each have our own “Holy of Holies” moments, when something touches our soul in a deep way.
These moments are all around us. The key is to notice them. In a moment of real gratitude, a flash of insight from Torah learning or a video, or a visit to a sacred place like the Ohel or the Kotel.
A moment like that can introduce us to a different version of ourselves, one with more strength, clarity, and potential than we thought possible.
And here’s the secret: we may have struggled to take on that new behavior, challenge, or dream, but that was only true for the old me. But I’m not the old me anymore. Now, if I recognize that and put myself to it… I can do it.
So let me ask you: Have you ever had a magical moment that changed you, even just a little? I’d love to hear about it…