In every area of life, we look for ways to improve. We drive a car for a few years and then start thinking about the newer model. We get the latest iPhone, and before long, we're wondering what the next one will offer. We are constantly upgrading, improving and looking for something new.
For something to stay alive, it needs a sense of freshness. It needs to remain exciting, challenging and evolving.
I remember a Rabbi who spoke at one of our conventions and shared a rule he had made for himself as a teacher. Every three years, he takes all the worksheets, tests and papers he has prepared for his students and puts them through the shredder. Why? So that he forces himself to think of new ideas and fresh approaches, making him a more effective teacher for his students rather than falling into the rut of simply repeating what he has done before.
This is the perspective with which I am trying to enter the new year.
The two names of this week's Torah portion represent two seemingly opposite ideas. ‘Nitzavim’ means standing firmly, while ‘Vayeilech’ means moving forward. In Judaism, there are components that are rock solid and timeless. The values of Torah and the Mitzvot are our anchor. They define who we are and what we stand for and they will never change.
But it is also necessary for us to advance, grow and make progress. We can come up with novel Torah insights. We can observe the same timeless Mitzvah with greater vigor, greater beauty and greater personal investment. We may pray the same words regularly, but we can bring more heart, focus and intention to those words than we did yesterday.
As we rapidly approach a new year and set goals for ourselves in every area of life, let's make sure that our personal Judaism is part of that. If we are already doing something good, let's hold onto it firmly, but let's also find something new to learn, a Mitzvah to introduce or enhance, or a way to deepen our Jewish identity, pride and observance.
We don't need to change what makes Judaism Judaism. We need to keep bringing something fresh to the way we live it. That is the balance: remaining firmly anchored in who we are, while never standing still.