Divine providence is just so cool. I was recently given a new sefer about life lessons we can learn from Mr. (sic; as was his preference) Avi Shulman, which we began reading at our s'uda this past Shabbos. This morning's DailyDose was a story about Mr. Avi Shulman and the mussar he took from a simple trip to the airport. To top it off, today's Vayimaen video presented a powerful mashal from the great mashgiach R' Matisyahu Saloman, ztz"l, which fit beautifully with the story. (I would share the direct link to this video, but that takes you to YouTube, and I can't be responsible for what ads and/or other "videos that might interest you" may show up. Buyer beware.)
The upcoming עשרת ימי תשובה/Ten Days of Repentance begins with Rosh HaShanah and culminates with Yom Kippur. The observance of these events in our yearly cycle could not be more different. On Rosh HaShannah we have a festive meal, celebrate our relationship with the King of the Universe by triumphantly blowing the shofar, and absolutely, positively, and affirmatively eschew even mentioning sin. Yom Kippur, on the other hand, is, well... different.
The mashgiach explained the difference this way: Rosh HaShanah is going to the photographer for your portfolio picture. You want to look GOOD—polished, professional, and not a hair out of place. Yom Kippur, on the other hand, is going to the doctor. Not for a perfunctory annual Medicare wellness checkup. Oh no... you haven't been feeling well and you want the doctor to have all the information. Every ache, every pain, every concern. Instead of your Shabbos finest, you are in that flimsy gown that supposedly ties in the back.
Beautiful mashal, no? Right on target. But let's review that story from Mr. Shulman and add a new dimension to the mashgiach's words. Mr. Shulman had taken his wife to Duke University for some medical care and was now headed home, taking a flight from Raleigh-Durham International Airport. These were pre-GPS days, and this was their first time navigating from that hospital to the airport. Mr. Shulman had therefore carefully mapped out the route from the hospital to the airport, complete with distances and significant milestones. They were traveling and had passed the first milestone, when they saw a large sign that said "Airport" and an arrow indicating the next exit. Mr. Shulman stayed his course, continuing in the left lane. A few miles later, exactly as his meticulous directions said, they encountered the sign for "Raleigh-Durham International Airport, next right."
Mr. Shulman's take on this incident was how important it is to have a plan. Without his carefully researched plan, that first sign could have led them off course. Even if it hadn't, they would have been worried that maybe they had missed their turn, maybe they should go back. All that worry and dread avoided simply by knowing where they were going and having a map of how to get there.
No one in his right mind would start on a journey with no plan at all. No one with an ounce of sense would draw up a map and instructions without knowing where they wanted to go. Yet, most of the world lives their life that way. They want this car, to live in this kind of house, make this much money, etc. Yet they have never given a single thought to where they are headed. They are focused on what they have to do to be successful, yet they never think even once about what success really means.
That is the depth of R' Matisyahu Salomon's mashal. We start serious introspection already at the beginning of Elul. That daily shofar blast rouses us to contemplate where we are and where we want to be. On Rosh HaShanah, we dress up as our best selves—outside and in. We live our best selves. We look for bracha in everything, even the appetizers to our Rosh HaShanah meal. We refrain from the pleasant Yom Tov nap and push ourselves to learn a little more, to be more attentive. We fix that image in our minds of the best we can be.
Now we know where we are headed. We have our destination firmly in mind. Now comes Yom Kippur, and we make a plan. We plan and review our plan. Ten times we review, in alphabetical order, every possible area of improvement. We each have an appointment with the Doctor of the World, with our souls bared—not even a flimsy gown that supposedly ties in the back. We want nothing to be hidden from our Creator so that we can be completely open with ourselves and make the most detailed possible plan to get from where we are to that picture we have from Rosh HaShanah of who we know we can be.
כתיבה וחתימה טובה
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