We are in the middle of Yamin Noraim. It is especially hard to examine your own faults when you learn of young lives being taken away. Lives of someone you didn’t know personally, but knew their parents. A terrible crash happened just a few days prior to Rosh ha Shana. I wish I had words to express my sorrow. A parent never fully recovers from the death of a child. Unfortunately, my family knows this all too well. May the families of all victims be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

These are the days we become obsessed with death. Certainly those of us, who lived through tragedies (who didn’t?) and those who take the words of Utaneh Tokef seriously thinking about the possibility of “what if?”. What if I do have to leave this world now? How will my actions be judged? Am I worthy of people mourning me? My teacher Calev Ben-Dor grapples with this question in this great article.

And, if I am granted more time here – how do I change the things I see being sinful in myself? This is not an easy task. How many time we (I) promise to ourselves, if not to Gd, that we will do better, we will pray, do chesed, and confront our shortcomings. We (I) try, and ….

I wish everyone of us a g’mar chatima tova . May we make only good decisions.

Have an easy and meaningful fast.