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.
The verses say (Deuteronomy 30:1-2): «And it shall be when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse that I pronounced before you […] Then you shall return to the Lord your God and obey His voice.» It sounds from these verses that the motivation for a person's return to God is the blessing and the curse. We can understand why a curse would cause a person to return: if they were on a bad path and suffered some «curse,» so to speak, a hardship, then they would repent and return to a good path. But if they were on a bad path and received a blessing, why would they change?
The Baal Shem Tov explains this with an example. A simple villager behaves badly toward the king. The king, instead of punishing him, decides to bring the villager closer to his court, bestowing upon him all kinds of honors and elevating him above his other ministers and advisors. The villager, seeing how the king "pays" for his misbehavior, will be so ashamed that he will return to a good path of respect and admiration for such a kind and merciful king. This illustrates how a Divine blessing can lead a person who has strayed down the wrong path back to the right one.
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.".