Saturday, October 4, 2014

Looking Ahead & Looking Back

The Baal Shem Tov taught his students that when wood burns, it is the smoke alone that rises upward, leaving the grosser elements below.  And so it is with prayer.  The sincere intention of our hearts ascends to God, and the test of our prayers is in fulfillment of them. 

    When we are taught to cross the street, we are told to always look both ways.  When we are taught to drive, we are reminded of this lesson and we add to it.  I recall being taught to look left, right and then left again.  As we learn to drive, the traffic approaches from the left sooner, so we double check that lane, first and last.  At this time of year, too, we are given clear guidance about which way to look.  We begin with Rosh Hashanah - looking ahead as we welcome the new year.  Then, ten days later, today, we look back.  We always need to know where we are going but we must know from where we are coming.  As we prepare the sincere intention of our hearts and consider how it will reflect our character, leaving behind the less desirable of our last year, we look ahead - who do we aim to be, then we look back - how can we use the lessons, the experiences and the moments of the last year.  Looking ahead and looking back is the purpose of this day - make sure to look both ways.

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