TURNING 70 ON THE WEEKEND OF TESHUVAH

In several weeks I will be having a major birthday. I can't believe the actual number-it is daunting! As it turns out, my birthday falls on the weekend of Yom Kippur, a time when we ask for forgiveness, atone for our sins, and ask to be written in the Book of Life. Rather than hyper focussing on the number I will shortly become, I started to examine some of the Al Chet prayers (44 of them) that we repeat many times throughout Yom Kippur services. My birthday should be a time of reflection, just as Yom Kippur is a time of reflection. Full disclosure, I am not a very religious person. I grew up in Westfield and attended the reformed Temple Emanuel led by the renowned Rabbi Kroloff. Rabbi Kroloff Bat Mitzvahed me and also married Jud and me. Yet, eventhough I am not religious, I fully embrace my Judaism. This milestone Birthday forces me to acknowledge that we do not live forever. We all must struggle to right our wrongs now, and apologize to those we have hurt. All of us seek to be forgiven-everyone is imperfect. We all make mistakes at one time or another. Part of being human is making mistakes and learning from them. And, then, learning to forgive ourselves while striving to do better. When one begins to look at the task of Teshuvah(repenting),it can be overwhelming. I want to examine just a few of the Al Chet prayers during this time of reflection. "For mistakes we have committed against you by having a hard heart." We can ask ourselves was I kind, compassionate, and loving when my family and friends needed me? "For mistakes we committed without thinking or without knowledge." Do I carefully examine my surroundings and weigh what is right and wrong? Here the question of how do we deal with people who hold differing views from our own? This is especially relevant regarding the deep polarization and negativity of political parties in the last decade. We might react to an opinion we encounter either in conversation or in the media and think, how can any reasonable human actually believe something like that? We must try and temper our judgement and not admonish those for having a different view than our own. Maybe, just maybe, we can have a civil discussion to understand one another's reasons for their thoughts. "For mistakes we committed before you through things we blurted out with our lips." Do I think before I speak? Do I gossip, or engage in idle chatter or foolish speech? Do I elevate others with encouraging words? "For mistakes committed before you by degrading parents and teachers? Do(Did) I sometimes act disrepectfully to my parents? Do(Did) I recognize and appreciate how much my parents have done for me? Am I respectful of my teachers, and grateful for their knowledge and help? Do I give enough special attention to the needs of the elderly and empathize with their frustration in the aging process? "For mistakes committed before you by throwing off the yoke, which means refusing to accept responsibility." Am I reliable and dependable? Have I accepted family responsibilities and gladly assisted whenever needed? Have I said I am sorry for my actions? Birthdays and Yom Kippur force us to think about our journey through life, our past actions, and to always cherish our friends and family while also staying true to ourselves. It is a time to search our hearts once again and to banish anything that is displeasing. To DO BETTER and to BE BETTER. There is always room for improvement, no matter how old we are. Wishing all of you a Happy and Healthy New Year. PEACE OUT - ONE B