Shalom everyone! Sorry for the large gap of time between my last blog post and now. For those of you who might not know, these past 29 days, we have been observing the Jewish month of Elul, the last month on the Hebrew calendar. Elul is a month of spiritual stock taking, contemplation & meditation, introspection, and big life questions, resolutions, and goals. Elul, in hebrew, is actually an anagram for "Ani l'dodi v'dodi li" roughly translated, "I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me." Other than being a verse that is recited at weddings, it is meant to express the inherent relationship between Hashem (G-d) and Yisrael (us). "I am to my beloved" indicates that we take a step towards Hashem, going out to meet Him, initiating the relationship, while "and my beloved is to me" indicates a reciprocal aspect of the relationship, Hashem extending his hand towards us, embracing us with a shining and gracious face. The symbolism of relationships isn't a mistake; the holidays coming up are all meant to symbolize Hashem's marriage to the Jewish people (Rosh Hashanah is the engagement, Yom Kippur is the wedding, etc.) Now, while Elul, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur are all Jewish observances/holidays, this does not mean that only Jews can partake of the amazing energy of this time.
Reflect on this past year; is there anyone that you deeply hurt? Can you think of something that you regret doing? Is there anything that you wish you had done, yet didn't do? Missed opportunities? This is the time to recognize those regrets and to resolve to change. This is called teshuvah, commonly translated as "repentance" yet literally meaning "return". This begs a very good question: return to what? How did I ever get lost? How do I return? What does all of this mean? Every creature on this Earth has a connection to G-d. He created us, gave us life, gives us everything that we have, and continuously keeps us in existence. If you've read any of my past blogs, you can get a clearer picture of my views on Hashem, but if you're pressed for time, then just know that Hashem is not some seperate entity pelting down Divine punishment for our actions. Hashem is deeply integrated into reality, in fact, Hashem IS reality. All of everything within the finite, infinite, and beyond the infinite is Hashem; there is nothing else but Him LITERALLY.
So if that's the case, then why don't I see G-d? Why don't I think about G-d? How can I live my life without ever even thinking about G-d or recognizing His existence? Because that's the nature of this world. Hashem created us in His image; from Hashem's point of view, there is nothing else but Him, ergo, we are the central focus of our lives. This world was created to be a finite expression of a beyond infinite reality; Hashem's essence is concealed within the illusion of our percieved reality, thus making it possible for us to never recognize His existence. Also, since Hashem gave us free will, His revealed existence in this world would defeat the whole purpose of our ability to choose. So with all of this complex information shoved into our brains, we are now able to truly understand what it means to return: to return to Hashem and to return to ourselves. Since our "selves" are part of the larger "Self" that is Hashem, then returning to ourselves i.e. living a more G-dly life and G-d conscious life is both returning to our true selves, as well as returning to Hashem. *PHEW*
What I hope everyone can take from this is as follows: This is the time to partake of that act of returning. We all have deficiencies, we all are lacking something, we all are broken. There is no person on Earth that does not make a mistake or is free of any blemish or flaw. Hashem- timeless, boundless, perfect reality- is the only consistent thing in this world. By returning to Hashem, by connecting to Him on a deeply personal level, we connect to our true selves, which is to be vessels for G-dliness in a world seemingly devoid of it. What does that mean in practicality? It means being the best person you can be. It means living up to your full potential as a human being. It means looking at another person, seeing that same G-dliness present in them, and learning from it that we are not here to struggle, despair, fight, or hate, but we are here to embrace, unite, labor, and love (throw back to Rabbi Schwab). It's not about turning over a new leaf and becoming a new person, it's about returning to who you've really been all along. All it takes is one step towards Hashem and He'll take care of the rest for you. Wishing you all an amazingly sweet and happy New Year full of health, happiness, success, friendship, and love.
All of my best,
Zach
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