Destination Preparation
It has been a tough few months here in Houston. With the devastation of the Memorial Day Flood still paralyzing hundreds of families, people are looking to turn a page, to ‘move on’.
The Holidays are an incredible opportunity for renewal, healing and growth, for all of us.
I remember reading a story of Rabbi Shalom Dovber Schneersohn (1860-1920) who would deliver Chassidic discourses which were spiritually-stimulating, so rich with brilliance and depth, that his students just could not get enough of them! One day, as he prepared to teach his students, something happened that surprised him. It was their custom to sing a slow meditative song as a preparation to hearing a discourse like this. But this time, their teacher, the Rebbe, sensed that the melody didn't flow in the usual slow and reflective way, it was meant to be sung. His students seemed so eager to finish the song and hear the discourse that they were rushing through its sweet notes.
Instead of teaching the discourse, the Rebbe went on to teach them a valuable life lesson:
If you cannot appreciate the song, you cannot appreciate the Torah teaching. If you can't be fully present in the preparatory stages, you won't either be fully present when you arrive.
We each have our own expectation from the upcoming Holidays. May I suggest that we truly take the time to invest in the preparation stages, so that when we ‘get there’ in just a few short weeks on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our experience will be maximized!
Before the Holidays arrive, set aside time to think about what it is you are looking forward to. Reflect on your past year. Have you achieved the goals you set out for yourself? What do you want this coming year to look like?
Take a relevant Jewish book off your shelf and read, even 5 minutes a day. Go online, or download the Jewish.TV app (highly recommended!) onto your smart phone, or listen to a class while driving.
Without too much sweat, this can deeply transform your mindset so that when you take your seat in Synagogue you will feel like you belong, present and ready to absorb!
May you be inscribed and sealed for a Shana Tova!
Rabbi Yossi Zaklikofsky