Starting Again: Some Wisdom to Keep

Hello Grafted In Reader,

Today is September 20 in my corner of blog land, Wednesday. The Jewish faith celebrates Rosh HaShanah (the new year) during this period of time. This includes a ten-day period prior to the Day Of Atonement, Yom Kippur, which is to be Sunday in our current year, 2023.

This solemn day is for individual and individual reflection over the sins, iniquities, and transgressions of the past year. Sounds pretty serious doesn't it?

Rather than mire oneself in incapability, here is some wisdom from the website, aish.com, to help us all make amends to ourselves and to the others in our respective lives. Following this day of return, begins a joyous feast called Feast of Booths, or feast of Tabernacles. After Monday, read about this festival at the online site of your choosing or perhaps encyclopedia.com.

In the past, online videos of this festival have been recorded by the International Embassy for Christians and Jews, which is festive, celebrative, about an hour in length during this eight-day occasion, recorded from Israel.

Now, help with our present moment as we celebrate or acknowledge Rosh HaShanah:

Change is in our power, but only up to a point. If we truly want to alter ourselves, we need to also pray to the Almighty to give us the strength we need to change.

It’s Never Too Late to Change

As long as the candle is still burning, it is still possible to accomplish and to mend. – Rabbi Yisrael Salanter

One night, Rabbi Salanter was walking home, past the home of a shoemaker. Despite it being very late, he observed the shoemaker was still busy, working by the light of a single candle. “Why are you still working?” Rabbi Salanter asked him. “It is very late and soon the candle will go out.”

The shoemaker replied “As long as the candle is still burning it is still possible to accomplish and to mend shoes.” In his wisdom, Rabbi Salanter realized this message is true for all of us. It’s never too late to change.

Let Go of Past Mistakes

When a person turns himself around, regrets his past and does good, that is such a powerful act that his sins become merits. – Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, known as Resh Lakish in the Talmud, knew a thing or two about overcoming sins: he gave up a career as a bandit to repent, study Torah and eventually become a great scholar. He taught that starting anew can wipe away our past mistakes and regrets.

How old will be you be in seven years if you don’t go to medical school (or fulfill any other ambition)? – Pauline Phillips (“Dear Abby”)

Few of her readers realized that Abigail Van Buren, who penned the long-running “Dear Abby” advice columns from 1956 until her death in 2013, was actually a Jewish woman named Pauline Phillips from Sioux City, Iowa. One of her most famous pieces of advice was given to “Unfulfilled in Philly”, who wrote that he would love to be a doctor, but if he were to go back to college and get his degree, then go to medical school, then do an internship, and finally practice medicine, it would take him seven years and he’d be 43 years old. Dear Abby’s advice was priceless: How old will you be in seven years if you don’t do all those things? It’s better to fulfill our dreams later in life than never.

Keep Trying

Though the righteous one may fall seven times, he will arise. – King Solomon (Proverbs 24:16)

In Jewish thinking, a great person isn’t one who never fails; it’s one who fails and keeps trying. You can only become a truly great person through the crucible of failure and perseverance.

May YHVH grant you a fresh start and me too.

Mellow Rock

            David C. Russell, Author