We are approaching the end of the year and, consequently, the beginning of the next. It is a time for reflection on the past and for making decisions about the future, like any end and beginning of a cycle.
Our sages explain that the Torah portions we read at a particular time of year have a direct connection to that specific period. This is based on the idea that every aspect of the universe is defined by three dimensions: space, time, and soul. The unique conjunction of these three axes defines an entire universe. More specifically, the Torah portion read on the Shabbat before Rosh Hashanah embodies the essence of this particular time of year, and this has an effect on us, inhabitants of this material world, here and now. Clearly, each person can draw different lessons and connections between these three dimensions; what follows is simply one of a myriad of possibilities.
Dicen los versículos (Devarím 30:1,2): «Y será cuando vengan sobre ti todas estas cosas, la bendición y la maldición que Di frente a ti […] Y retornarás hasta Di-s tu Señor y oirás Su voz» Suena de estos versículos que la motivación del retorno de la persona hacia Di-s son la bendición y la maldición. Podemos entender por qué una maldición haría retornar a una persona: si se encontraba en un mal camino y sufrió alguna «maldición», por así decir, un mal pasar, entonces, recapacita y retorna hacia un buen camino. Pero si se encontraba en un mal camino y recibió una bendición: ¿Por qué habría de cambiar?
El Baal Shem Tov explica esto con un ejemplo. Un aldeano simple tiene un mal comportamiento hacia el rey. El rey, en lugar de aplicarle un castigo, decide acercar al aldeano a su corte, dándole todo tipo de honores y elevándolo por sobre sus otros ministros y consejeros. El aldeano, al ver cómo el rey «paga» su mal comportamiento se avergonzará, al punto tal que retornará a un buen camino de respeto y admiración por un rey tan bondadoso y misericordioso. Esto explica cómo una bendición Divina puede llevar a una persona que transita por un mal camino a retornar al buen camino.
What does all this have to do with the times we live in? We're finishing a year. Like any business, we must take stock: income, expenses, assets, liabilities, and so on. However, when taking stock, we often view life literally as a business. In a business, the owner's life is separate from the business itself. That is, even though their livelihood depends on the business, their health, their children's education, their relationships with friends and partners, etc., don't depend (at least not directly) on the business. The balance sheet only covers the commercial aspects. When we talk about the balance sheet for the month of Elul, it's imperative to include all our affairs, thoughts, words, and actions—health, livelihood, education, studies, joy, and so on.
Only when we take a comprehensive inventory of our very existence do we realize how undeserved and poorly reciprocated God's blessings have been. It is then that we are ready for Rosh Hashanah. It is then that we can truly appreciate and give thanks for Divine kindness and mercy and ask that we and everyone be inscribed for a good and sweet year, and above all, a year of Redemption.
«"May they be registered and sealed for good, for a good and sweet year.".