So many thoughts fill our hearts and our minds in the weeks and days before the holy day of Rosh Hashana. On one hand we go about our daily lives almost as we did before physically, however in our hearts and minds we are all thinking of the holy day, the beginning of the new year that is coming up and is just around the corner.
From the time that we are small children we are educated what to think and do in this special month of Elul. We do teshuva, and repent for things we have done wrong to Hashem and to others, throughout the year. We think of things we would like to change; we give extra tzedaka during this month, and we think extra hard what we might have done to have upset Hashem and our fellow friends and close loved ones, and make sure to ask forgiveness.
We are all placed in this world for a certain purpose. We constantly search for the right path, the right way for our special soul, for our neshama in this world. When we are very young, we are guided by our parents, our superiors and by the schools we attend. As we grow older, we formulate which is the best way we want to go in, so that we may form our own special path. We use our past, our surroundings and the things we feel in our hearts that is correct for us. The more we retrospect and look into ourselves we will find the right path. Everyone finds something that’s close to their heart, that’s correct and right for them. It might not seem that it’s right for somebody else, however, each person knows what’s good for them.
We live in times with social media that has taken over and it’s so easy to fall captive to the trend of the times. We can follow another person on the other side of the world and want to be like them not really knowing anything about them aside from what they want us to see in them. We might even want to be like them without knowing who they really are. We’re living in times that are so easy to just run after the glitter and the gold. It’s so available, it’s so eye-catching, so colorful. In the past there was less technology. We lived with the people that were next to us. Sometimes on a mountain top and sometimes in a village. Most of the worries were about getting some food clothing or shelter. We spent time with the people who lived next to us and the ones we loved. In the past traveling meant no contact till we returned home. There was a lot of time to think. A lot of time to contemplate life.
People searched for G-d, and the truth, while looking inside oneself. Throughout history there have been great leaders and great rabbis who passed on to us the beautiful ways of life. Through these leaders we’ve been able to seek higher levels in worshiping Hashem and simply higher spiritual levels. There’s so much noise today. It’s so hard to find quiet and intimate time with one another. The internet has taken over the whole world, for better and for worse. What does Hashem want from us?
I attended a wedding last night, which was moving beyond words. The location of this wedding was in the middle of the desert. That’s what it looked like. It wasn’t so far away from Jerusalem where I live, but it was the in middle of nowhere. There was nothing around but barren lands. After traveling for half an hour out of the city into this empty mountain, there was a little oasis right in the middle, that was sectioned off. There was a little farm, with some sheep and a small outdoor hall. There was no internet. There was no reception. But there was so much connection. I found myself standing before the bride a just singing with everyone and rejoicing.
As I was standing there and celebrating, I thought to myself, in just a few weeks we will enter one of the holiest days of the year. We will come before Hashem and our books will open with all the deeds we did this past year. I found that the beautiful music helped me sore high above the clouds and I felt as though I could touch the sky. I felt like I was in heaven. Where there’s true clarity. Where you can feel your soul, feel your heart. I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t want to go back to planet Earth. All the noise, all the things I need to do, have to do. Mostly what I felt with all the singing and the quite of the barren mountain top, was the deep connection to G-d, to mankind without any technology. While standing by the chupa the songs kept going. I looked up at the heavens, and they were wide open. Master of the world, I want to stay here. I don’t want to leave. I don’t want to go back. It’s my place. I want to stay here and connect to you all day long with songs and good energy. All around are just good people. Tears rolled from my eyes. I could almost hear Hashem’s voice calling me so clearly. You are so special. You are so holy. You are a piece of me on earth. I need you to go back. I need you in your earthly position. I need you to face your challenges. The people that you know, you can help them. People need your love and attention so much. You will come up to heaven one day after 120 and you’ll have your music and your songs and your connection. But now you have to go. Follow me blindly through the barren mountains and in the desert. And I will reward and will remember all the charity that you did. In this generation, it’s very challenging to find Hashem and see him. Therefore, with songs and music we can hear G-d within our hearts. This is the message to our neshama. Listen and guide your life with Hashem no matter what the world throws at you. The holiness and goodness of G-d is greater than all the noise and all that technology can offer.
So as we come to appoint Hashem as our Master once again on Rosh Hashana, let us hear the music that is within our neshama and let us praise our creator and thank Him for guiding us in the best way possible. Ktiva vechatima tova.
