Just as Labor Day is a wake up call to the harsh reality that summer is over, and the responsibilities of school, office and community beckon, so too the daily sounding of the shofar in the month of Elul announces that the Days of Awe will soon be upon us. Rosh Hashana already?
Where did the year go?

As Joni Mitchell sang,
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We’re captive on the carousel of time
We can’t return we can only look behind
From where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game

A nice song, but not a Jewish idea.
We don’t see our calendar as circle, but rather as a spiral. As the spiral unfolds we need to evolve as well, growing personally, financially, spiritually.
Two guys are on their way to the racetrack, when one says to the other, ” Boy, I hope I break even today. I really need the money.”
Cute story, but not a Jewish joke.
Being Jewish is not about breaking even.
If another year passes and we are the same person we started out as, we have not broken even- we are deep in the red.

The Hebrew words for “Days of Awe”, Yamim Noraim, can also be translated as “Days of Fear”. Many of us especially relate to the latter. What is the source of this fear?
More than the fear of having to sit through marathon religious services, and the feeling of not really knowing what we should be thinking or feeling, is the fear of accountability.

A man walks into a bar and says, “Give me a beer before problems start!”
Again, the man orders a beer saying, “Give me a beer before problems start!”
The bartender looks confused. This goes on for a while, and after the fifth beer the bartender is totally mystified and asks the man, “When are you going to pay for these beers?”
The man answers, “Ah, now the problems start!”

We need not get stuck with a tab we can’t pay.
The Rambam (Maimonides) teaches that the sound of the shofar is crying out,”Wake up, you slumberers, from your deep sleep. Take an accounting…”

The sound of the shofar reminds us to settle our accounts while we still have the luxury of time.
This special seasonal tally is called a cheshbon hanefesh, a spiritual accounting.

How do we begin? We can turn to the Talmud for advice. The sage Raba, in tractate Berachot (31a), says that the first three questions asked while being judged by the heavenly tribunal are, “ Were you honest in your business dealings? Did you set aside a regular time for study? Were you actively trying to create a family?

It is significant that the first question deals with human relationships. The measure of our success as a Jew is how we relate to others, and the G-dliness we seek to integrate into our lives is first and foremost expressed in our social interactions.

Have we fallen short in this area? We still have an opportunity to make amends, and although Yom Kippur does not atone for damages to another person, we can still personally ask for mechila, for forgiveness, from anyone we may have wronged.

Seeing ourselves as works in progress is crucial to Jewish growth, and regular study, even in small amounts, will go far in helping us feel like we are in fact growing. If you need strengthening in this area then now is the time to find a learning partner, register for a class, subscribe to an email list. Rabbi Hillel in the Mishna says, “…..and don’t say I will study when I have time, lest you never find the time” (Avot 2:4)

Interestingly, the question about creating a family asks, “osakta b’pirya v’rivya?”- Were we osaik, were we completely occupied in creating a family? Anyone can have children, but to be actively involved in their spiritual development is another matter altogether.
Are we outsourcing our children’s Jewish lives, or are we actively involved, leading by example? Why not resolve to spend a few minutes connecting with your children spiritually each week, especially on Shabbat. It is worth the investment.

After our chesbon hanefesh, our “soul accounting”, we can easily come up with a spiritual business plan. What are our goals for the month, for the year? Five years? Ten years?
Make a list, put it on an index card, and carry it with you, taking a glance weekly, or better yet, daily.

With the proper preparation we can change the “Days of Fear” back into the “Days of Awe”, when we can confidently bare our souls to our creator. Although we are works in progress, we are sincere in our desire to connect, and work on our primordial relationship.
We are truly in awe of the power of G-d in the world, and are eager to return to G-d, and to ourselves.

K’tivah v’chatimah tovah – “May you be written and sealed in the Book of Life, for good.”

Shana Tova u’metuka, A  good and sweet year!

Rabbi Greg