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Rabbi Mendy Herson's Blog

Thoughts from, and conversations with, Rabbi Herson

Yom Kippur. It carries its own resonance. After all, it's a serious day.

But we need to remember that it's also a happy day.

When we take stock of our lives, in a real way, there is a certain gravity we feel. If we don't, then we're fooling ourselves.

No matter how much we're evolving in life, we can always do better. We're always a work in progress, and that's they way it's meant to be. You never 'arrive'.

So when I envision the 'possible me' and compare it to the 'actual me', it's a bit sobering (on the other hand, it is empowering to recognize the potential I - and YOU - have. That's the upside).

Yom Kippur is about finding the honesty to see how far we've come, and recognize that we believe in a caring Parent - G-d - who understands our journey and is constantly encouraging us..."you can do it"; G-d forgives our slip-ups and allows us to renew ourselves and our relationship with oru own destiny.

It's a focused serious time alright, but if you're missing the beauty you need to look again.

 

Have a wonderful New Year,

Mendy

Good discussion in the library today.

Couple of thoughts:

A. It's clear to me that one's basic position vis a vis

A. G-d

B. Torah 

C. The Oral Tradition

filters through (if it doesn't downright determine) one's attitudes about Judaism's 'details'.

Until one has a reasoned stand on the 'Big Three' (even if it's a rejecting opinion), one's Judaic views will be disjointed and de-contextualized.

This certainly doesn't mean that someone who hasn't thought these concepts through isn't entitled to an opinion. But the lack of such exploration reflects on the opinion's intellectual sturdiness. 

 

Another point:

Relevance and personal meaning are what it's all about. We can't dictate it, but we can certainly position ourselves for it through healthy analysis and emotional/intellectual openness.

 

Mendy

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