May the New Year
bring to all our friends
and family
health, joy, prosperity and
everything good in life.
Tips Can Help Make
Holidays Meaningful
I
Rabbi Dov Heller
aish.org
R
osh Hashanah is Judaism's
Day of Judgment. Sound
scary? Actually, it could be
the most enjoyable day of your life.
These five ideas can help you have a
blast this Rosh Hashanah.
1. God judges us because He loves us.
I was visiting a family recently and
the topic of conversation turned to
Jewish continuity. The father took
this opportunity to talk to his son
who was leaving on a college year
abroad. He encouraged his son to be
proud of being Jewish, always act like
a mentsh and to never forget that
the "world is watching you because
you're a Jew."
Later in a private moment, I asked
the son how he felt. He said, "Well, a
little uncomfortable but I know my dad
said what he said because he loves me."
Doesn't every parent have a criti-
cal eye on their children? Aren't all
parents in some way or another con-
stantly "judging" their children? We
parents do this because we care so
much about helping our children live
meaningful and happy lives.
So, too, the Creator of the universe;
He "judges" us not because he wants
to punish us but because he loves us
and wants to make sure we live a great
life. So when you walk into services,
feel the loving embrace of a Father
who cares about you and only wants
the very best for you.
2. Hear the shofar saying, "I love
you, wake up and live!"
God is trying to get our attention.
He's calling out to each of us with
"the blast of the shofar." One sound
of the shofar is like a loud call, "Just
want to make sure you're listening."
Another tone is much softer, which
touches a deeper, more vulnerable
part of us. Hearing the shofar can
be an awesome opportunity to feel
God's love. He's calling out to us with
a love song, in pleading tones, "Please
wake-up. Stop and think seriously
about where you're going in life.
Please, think about what you really
want out of life. Do it now while you
still have life in you. All I want is that
you have everything good."
3. Choose to live a great life.
God can put the "good life" right in
front of us and say, "Choose this," but
if we don't have the clarity to want it,
we'll never take ownership of it.
The power of will is the only real
power we have in this world. Rosh
Hashanah is the time to learn how to
use it.
Everyone wants to have a great life.
But if we don't take responsibility to
clarify for ourselves what the meaning
of greatness is, we will likely conform
to the values and standards of our
society which seem to be more about
seeking comfort than seeking great-
ness. What does a great life look life?
Do we have a picture that we are com-
pletely satisfied with?
Dr. Abe & Sylvia Pearlman
❑
2013
5774
PrIPI I I.F.
4
Illga
•■
e.—
4. Ask yourself, what am I living for?
To live greatly, there is one question
that we absolutely must ask: What am
I living for? After all, how can I live if
I don't know what I'm living for? Most
people avoid this question. We get
busy with being busy in order not to
think about where our lives are ulti-
mately headed. It's a profound ques-
tion and one that requires courage and
great personal integrity to ask.
On Rosh Hashanah, God asks us to
look in the mirror and judge ourselves.
This is a tremendous and awesome
challenge. The Almighty is giving us
life, and we don't know what to do
with it. Life is too precious to waste.
Rosh Hashanah is the time to clarify
what we're living for.
5. Monitor your emotional experi-
ence
The word for prayer in Hebrew is
l'hitpallel, which means to judge
oneself. Prayer is an opportunity for
self-discovery. To read the prayers
without reflecting upon how they
make us feel is like going to a concert
wearing ear plugs. Use prayer as a
tool for self-discovery and growth by
listening to our feelings.
For example, there may be a
moment in the prayer service that
deeply moves you. It is crucial to hold
on to the experience and make an
effort to understand what made that
experience meaningful for you. If you
can understand the meaning of that
experience, you have discovered a
precious insight that you can use the
rest of your life.
In Judaism, every holiday is an
opportunity for personal transforma-
tion. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
are called the High Holidays because
they offer extra special opportunities
for self-discovery and growth.
Rosh Hashanah
May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all my family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!
Air
May the coming year be filled with
health and happiness for all our family and friends.
L'Shanah Tovah!
Rhonda and Mary Perlin & Family
•
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August 29 • 2013
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