Rabbi Michael Weinstein
A Time For Atonement
It is written in the sacred Books:
“The 30 days before Rosh Hashanah, the great judgment day when man is permitted to turn in Teshuvah, repentance- to what are they comparable? To the 30 days of grace which a Court grants a debtor in which to pay his debts and be freed of his creditors.
But the man who is reverent of the word of God begins to turn in Teshuvah the day before the eve of Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, which is the Yom Kippur Katan, the minor day of atonement. Even those who do not follow the practice of honoring Rosh Chodesh make a Yom Kippur Katan on the eve of Rosh Chodesh Elul, to prepare their hearts for repentance” (Adapted from Mateh Efrayim).
In our upside down world of COVID-19, when all things that were consistent and expected are no longer, may our hearts continue to turn to God, as they have for generations. May our souls be reunited with God, just as Moses, in laying his hands upon Joshua. May our minds be cognizant of God ‘as a symbol before your eyes.’
B’chol l’vavcha, uv’chol naf’sh’cha, uv’chol m’odecha…
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