Monday, April 20, 2009

Impressive Shadow

ok, I was just checking out "Dixe Yid"s blog, and he quoted something from the "Piaczetzna Rebbe" (Aish Kodesh; Moshe Weinberger material) which I think is a great idea.

Let me set it up for you (ayy, such colloquialisms today): For many people (including my accursed little self) the Yamin Noraim are a problematic time; you're basically asking G-d to reward you with another year "to serve Him with" on the back of your changing your wicked ways and accepting certain resolutions for change on yourself for the following year. And for most people (if this isn't you, than: sorry) after Yom Kipur is over, and you're looking back, relieved that G-d hasn't struck you with lightning, the resolutions you made quickly fall to the wind, if not by Succot then by Cheshvan, and if not by Cheshvan then by Chanukah, and the whole thing turns out to have been bogus.

What was suggested (according to the situation I'm setting) is to not look forward from Rosh Hashana for a better future, but to look at Rosh Hashana as that future. In other words the resolutions should be made before the coming year, and you should envision a picture of your potential self by next year. During the year you should attempt to live up to that potential you (and the fact that Rosh Hashana is coming itself could possibly serve as some kind of security that you'll actually change).

..this was expressed very poorly. You should check out the post yourself.

8 comments:

Rachel said...

I like that idea.

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

Oh, nice to see you still hangin' around..

Believe it or not you're post about refraining from writing in your blog in the future resonated in my mind for a while. I wondered about blogs being "stuffy" and the justification of writing at all. ..though I obviously always come to the conclusion that for myself it's a good idea..

DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

Thanks for the link. It is a powerful idea. Did you mean gil student or dixie yid though?

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

Holy f--king sh-t man, I don't know how I made that mistake. I'm sorry (I must have gotten a little too high that night. ..I hope that was understood as a joke.. ..either way it doesn't make a difference because I act like I'm high, so.. okaay, a little too much info there..).

Welcome, by the way!

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

By the way, I noticed you're a Shor Yoshuv-oriented fellow. I've also been a Shor Yoshuv bocher, so "big-up you'self"!

DixieYid (يهودي جنوبي) said...

LOL,

No worries. :-) Glad the idea was meaningful/helpful, but not to misrepresent, Rav Weinberger didn't bring down the piece in Tzaav V'Ziruz. I made that connection to what he was speaking about, which I wrote up a bit at the beginning and end of the post. Kol tuv!

C said...

Interesting related idea...

It is written, somewhere ארץ אשר תמיד עיני ה׳ אלוקיך בה מראשית השנה עד אחרית שנה

The reason it starts with "השנה" and ends with "שנה" is because at the beginning of the year, we all say this will be THE year when I change and do so many good things. By the end of the year, however, it just ends up being just like every other year.

הצעיר שלמה בן רפאל לבית שריקי ס"ט said...

Well that's not a very encouraging idea...but thanks!

It's interesting you comment on this because I was listening to Akiva Tatz while walking today and he mentioned something which not only reminded me of this idea but expanded on it.

He said that the importance of having a clear picture of what you would like your improved self to be like lies in the fact that (obviously) the sole purposeful outcome of life should be the culmination of a succession of improvements (which is how he defines "Olam Haba").

He said it's analogous to sailing in a wild sea; it's difficult as it is, but even more difficult if one doesn't have a very clear idea of where they're headed. If, on the other hand, you clearly know where you're headed, you at least have a chance to arrive there. ..so all that ambiguous spiritual growth is obviously frowned upon. It's the same story with exercising or any other important accomplishment.

(He continued to explain that that was the main struggle of the Omer period as opposed to the Pesach period, and that this is evident in the Zodiac signs corresponding to these months. I hadn't heard him in a while)..