The key to change is to take stock of our personal journey, be happy that we discovered the areas that need change and proceed to improve.
When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves. —Victor Frankl
There is no debate about it; the times in which we live are in need of major transformation. And that transformation can only begin from within each of us. While each day presents a window of opportunity for change, never is there a more powerful moment to harness the collective consciousness toward transformation than during Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, through Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (corresponding to the secular dates of Sept. 28 through Oct. 8). It is a 10-day spiritually intensive journey, tailor-made for our decidedly short-attention span population.
If you're new to this, let me break it down. Rosh Hashanah is the day we celebrate the birth of all humanity. And like our personal birthdays, Rosh Hashanah is welcomed in as a day of reflection, meditation and resolve.
Chasidim are taught that serious and joyous are not contradictory. Thus, one can be immersed in reflection, but still dance! Nevertheless, the joy for our Jewish New Year is welcomed during this period with a thoughtful sincere review of the past and a hopeful look forward to a greatly improved future.
Why didn't I wait a couple of weeks to write about these days that are both solemn and joyous? For me, as I get older, each year seems to go by faster. And, as I found people saying to me, "It can't be Rosh Hashanah again," I thought I would give advance notice for those who want to join me for the annual "birthday" preparation journey of self-assessment and improvement.
It is worth repeating the obvious—we all make mistakes. Much of our personal growth is because of those mistakes. I was taught that the key to change is to take stock of our personal journey, be happy that we discovered the areas that need change and proceed to improve—even if it is only baby steps. Every baby step in the right direction is a giant leap forward.
We all have hopes. Some want to become better parents, others to become better children. Some want to become more trustworthy, others to become more trusting. Regardless of who we are and what we want to become, we must stop, ask and answer some tough questions and make a plan. Surely, we do not want to become a caricature—the delusional self-improvement guru whose unfulfilled birthday resolutions remain in a fantasy world. That's why a reasonable plan of action is the key.
Part of us resists taking any account. Faults? Who wants to admit them? Such discoveries seem painful. But introspection is the basis for renewal, and that is what the season of Rosh Hashanah is about—evaluation, resolve and renewal. We use these precious preparation days prior to the High Holy days to welcome true change in our life.
The simple cry of the Shofar, the ram's horn played on Rosh Hashanah, transports us to the simple, continuous sound of life within, where all of our possibilities are on the table. On these days, we symbolically eat sweet foods so that our journey of change can be one filled with only sweetness. And we pray that our resolve to personal change becomes actualized, and be the opening channel for the types of changes that will alter the world for the good.
A great rabbi once said, "When I was 20, I had plans to change the world. At 40, I realized I no longer had the time, so I changed the plan to change just my own country. When I turned 60, I was forced to be realistic and commit to change just my city. And now that I am 85, if I could only just change myself."
You are welcome to join me on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for an experience of change. For more information, please go here.