We are creatures of habit. Most of us find comfort in our routines, in our schedules, or in the way we approach our careers or family life. But as comforting as they are, habits can also become limiting. The issue is that even when we know change is necessary, we often strongly resist it.
I once heard from a business guru: “The best way to go out of business is to stay in your comfort zone.” We need to be ready to recreate ourselves if we want to stay successful. This is true in every area of life.
In many families, there are time-honored traditions, observed for generations. We continue them because that’s how we grew up and because they feel good. “I sat next to my grandfather at Kol Nidrei, and now my son fills that seat.” Or, “At our family Seder table, we make our Charoset using my grandmother’s exact recipe, we love it.”
We’re often very good at honoring the sacred traditions of our past, and that is wonderful. But how do we react when it becomes necessary to consider a change? It might be in response to a critical moment in the Jewish world, in our community, or even an ancient practice that is completely new to us personally. “Rabbi, I’ve never heard of that before...”
Are we open-minded and flexible enough to make space for something new?
That, I believe, is the true test of whether our Jewishness is active and exciting. A Judaism that is alive will always challenge us to grow, psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I take inspiration from my father, whose Yartzeit we observe this week, for being firmly rooted in tradition and honoring his routine observances, like showing up every morning to Synagogue like clockwork and the list goes on. Yet, as difficult as it was, he was also ready to change a habit when it became necessary to do so for his family, his health, or for Judaism.
I’m also in awe of the many local friends, men and women, who have embraced Jewish observances as adults, that were once foreign to them and have now become a meaningful part of their lives. That’s truly inspiring!