24 Sep YAMIM NORAIM: COMMITTING TO BE GREAT

For many of us, the period
of Yamim Noraim is like a
door that constantly opens
and closes, but always
remains in the same
place. We constantly “move”
– we go to the synagogue, we
recite all the prayers, we do the mitzvot, but
we get nowhere. We end up like the door by
the synagogue entrance – that swings open
and closed hundreds upon hundreds of
times on the holidays, but ends up in the
exact same spot…
Why? Why we don’t we ever get
anywhere?
Because of different thoughts that run
around in our minds, such as:
1) All in all, I’m ok. And I’m a lot better
than many other people I know. I make
mistakes, but I’m fine the way I am.
2) It’s really hard to change. I’m a busy
person. I have enough to worry about as it
is. And I have so much to change. Why
should I bother?
I imagine that one, two, or all of these
thoughts sounds awfully familiar…

The response to these thoughts, I believe,
is the custom of Tashlich – the prayer
recited at a body of water on Rosh
Hashanah.
No, we do not go to the river to throw our
sins into it. Judaism does not believe in this
kind of “magical” atonement.
The source of Tashlich is the story of
Avraham Avinu as he made his way
to akedat Yitzhak – to fulfill G-d’s command
to slaughter his son. The Midrash relates
that the Satan tried to prevent Avraham
from going to the place where Hashem told
him to sacrifice his son, and so
the Satan formed a river that blocked
Avraham’s path. Avraham walked into the
water until it reached his neck. He was not
deterred. As difficult as this was, he insisted
on doing what Hashem wanted from
him. When the water was at his neck, he
pleaded to Hashem, and the water subsided.
We remind ourselves of this story by going
to a river on Rosh Hashanah.
Why?
Because this story must be our response to
the thoughts that discourage us from

growing and changing.
It is not good enough
to be “fine,” or “more
or less ok.” And “it’s
really hard” is no
excuse. We are the
children of Avraham,
Yitzchak and
Yaakov. And they’ve
taught us that we can
– and must – be
great. They showed us
that we don’t give
up. When Avraham
walked into that river,
he established the
mindset that is with us forever – the mindset
of, “I’m not going to stop,” the mindset of,
“I’m striving for greatness, and nothing will
ever get in my way!”
As Avraham Avinu’s grandchildren, we
must demand of ourselves greatness. It is
not enough to be GOOD. We need to strive
to be GREAT.
Whenever we think we’re ok the way we
are, or it’s too hard to change, we need to
remember our grandfather, Avraham Avinu,

walking through that raging river to fulfill
the most impossible of missions. He
embedded within the very fabric of our
nation the concept that we can and must do
whatever it takes to be great, and not just be
“ok.”
During this period of teshuvah, this is
what we need to keep in mind. We must not
be deterred by challenges. We must not be
frightened by struggle. We are Avraham’s
grandchildren – and he taught us to be
great. Let’s do it!