Engaging w/ Elul August 28, 2013

As Caleb, my almost 13 month old son, becomes more and more mobile, faster and faster from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’, Rachel and I have implemented our own language to coordinate.  We call it a ‘reset’.  It is that moment one he’s playing, we are both keeping a watchful eye, but also partially engaged in something else.  One will say to the other, can you do a ‘reset’?  And one of us will dutifully and lovingly pick Caleb up and move him to a safer location, just so he can head back in the same direction he intended.  It frees us up for a brief moment to accomplish whatever task was at hand. 

This time of year, approaching a New Year, I am constantly thinking about this notion of ‘reset’.  The idea that the slate of deeds, actions and words can begin again.  Yet, I know that we cannot fully reset the time and wash completely away all of those experiences of the past year.  We can only improve the quality of our ‘reset’ from year to year if each year is full of better, more positive and healthier deeds, actions and words.  For then, the reset is to a higher level each year.

Set your intention today to not just wait for the holy days to ‘reset’, but to make each day an improvement on yesterday.

Make Today a Great Day,

Rabbi Evon