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Jewish World Review Sept. 11, 2000 / 10 Elul, 5760
http://www.jewishworldreview.com --
THE SHOPPER plies the aisles of the local supermarket, adhering strictly to
the list he had prepared. Unexpectedly, he comes upon a great pyramid of
Cheerios, topped by a bright yellow banner: "Half Price, No Limit!" With
seven little Cheerios-loving children to feed at home, the shopper considers
getting an extra shopping cart and filling it to the brim with the precious
golden boxes of toasted "Os." Then he checks his watch. With an appointment
scheduled in just 20 minutes, there's no time to get another cart and stock
up.
"Maybe I should just take what I can now, and come back for the rest," he
thinks. "No," he finally decides. "That's foolish. I'll just come back
tomorrow and get it all at one time."
The next day, his car won't start. The following day, he gets bogged down at
work. Finally, three days later, he returns to the supermarket to search for
the bright pyramid of half-price Cheerios. It's gone. He can still get his
Cheerios, but they're going to cost him full price.
Certain times are ripe for certain things, and when that moment is missed, it
is difficult, if not impossible, to recapture. The Torah calls such an
opportune time an "eis ratzon."
From the first of the Hebrew month of Elul until the end of Yom Kippur is the "eis ratzon" for
teshuvah, or repentance. Now is the time when the Creator eagerly awaits our move, eases our path
and opens the door to His returning children. Yes, one must do teshuvah in
the other months as well, even when the cost is high. But in
now, it's ours for the taking, if we seize the opportunity.
Better Relationships
REPAIRING THE IRREPARABLE
When scientists wish to track the activities of a bird or animal, they tag
it. That way, they can follow its movements as it carries on its activities
throughout the day. Imagine if that procedure could be followed with the
words we speak. Where do they go once they issue from our mouths? Who hears
them? Who repeats them? What effect do they have as they trace their path
through Heaven and earth? If any of those words are loshon hora, or gossip, we might
find that they carve a path of destruction we never could have predicted.
The far-flung path of our words, says the graet sage, the Chofetz Chaim, makes it difficult
to do teshuvah for loshon hora. Not only don't we know where our words go
once they leave us. Quite possibly, a person may not even remember what he
has said, about whom he has said it, or to whom he said it. How, then, can he
hope to retract his words or seek forgiveness from those he has hurt? In such
a case, says the Chofetz Chaim, the best means of teshuvah is to actively
encourage the mitzvah of guarding one's tongue. In this way, one can repair, to
some degree, the irreparable.
Adapted from "Chofetz Chaim: A Daily Companion," a project of Chofetz Chaim
Heritage Foundation and Mesorah Publications
Effective Prayer
THE SLOW LANE
The students of Yeshivah Ohel Torah in the town of Baranovich in Eastern Europe followed the lead of their
Rosh Yeshivah (dean), Rav Elchanan Wasserman, in praying with great care, precision
and concentration. Once, when the Rosh Yeshivah was ill, a group of students
came to his house to enable him to pray with a minyan. A new student was
selected to lead the prayers, which he did at the speedy pace he was
accustomed to from his hometown synagogur.
Following the service, Rav Elchanan spoke to the young man quietly. "I want
you to know that the verse 'You will run away even when no one is chasing
you' [Lev. 26:17] is part of the admonishment given by Moses to Jewry."
In Elul, we focus more intently upon our prayers, knowing that they are
integral, along with tzedakah (charity) and teshuvah (repentance), in determining the Creator's decrees
for the year that is about to begin. As we embark on the essential work of
prayer, we can learn from Rav Elchanan's words. No one is chasing us.
There's no need to run.
Adapted from "In the Footsteps of the Maggid," by Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn,
with permission from Mesorah Publications
Inner Excellence
TRY, TRY AGAIN
Ephraim's elderly mother was becoming deafer by the day. Despite the pleasant
expression etched upon her face, she was lonely. Yet visiting her was the
hardest thing for Ephraim to do, simply because she wouldn't wear a
hearing aid. He'd become tense, then sarcastic, then down- right angry, as
his mother shrugged and resigned herself to her ill-tempered visitor.
One day, Ephraim's friend accompanied him on a visit. Despite Ephraim's
attempt at restraint, his impatience seethed just below the surface. "I'll
bet that no matter how you ever tried your mother's patience, she never
looked at you the way you were looking at her," his friend later admonished
him.
Ephraim was overwhelmed with guilt. His heart broke as
he pictured the resigned smile with which she weathered his stormy visits.
How could he ever face his mother again?
When G-d rejected the offering brought by Cain, Cain was angry and
crestfallen. G-d urged him away from despair with the words, "If you do
well, you will be raised up." But Cain remained dejected, and that
ultimately brought him to a far greater sin.
Rabbi Yeruchem Levovitz explained that remaining dejected over a sin, rather
than rising up immediately to correct it, is a result of the evil inclination's
work.
A sin knocks a person down, but it's the evil inclination that holds him
there, overwhelming him with guilt that prevents him from rising and
repairing the damage. Staying down, says Rabbi Levovitz, is worse than
falling in the first place.
Guilt is the fuel of teshuvah. It isn't meant to flood the workings of our
hearts; it's meant to give us the push, the power, to move to higher ground.
Adapted from "Growth Through Torah," by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, with permission
from the author
Life's Lessons
HIDE AND SEEK
When he was a small boy, Rav Yechiel, the grandson of Rav Baruch of
Medzhibozh, asked his grandfather a question. "If G-d knows everything,
why did He ask Adam, 'Where are you?' after his sin?" The grandfather didn't
answer, but a short while later, he asked little Yechiel, "Would you like to
play hide and seek?"
The child was thrilled. He hid and waited, while his grandfather sat down at
his desk to learn. After waiting quite awhile, Yechiel emerged from his
hiding place weeping. "Grandfather, you forgot all about me. You didn't even
look for me!" he wailed.
"This," said the grandfather, "is the answer to your question. After eating
the fruit and hiding from G-d, Adam would have been too ashamed to come
out. By 'looking' for Adam, G-d gave him the chance to make contact with
him, so that he could once more face his Creator."
Adapted from "Words of Wisdom, Words of Wit," by Shmuel Himelstein, with
permission from Mesorah
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