Accounting for Our Time - Reflections for the Month of Elul The Yom Kippur Mussaf Service offers several inspirational moments that seem to transcend time and space. At one such point, our prayer leader suddenly becomes the High Priest and our entire community joins him at the Holy of Holies where together we re-enact the order of the Yom Kippur Temple Service (Seder ha’Avodah). Like the High Priest and the entire congregation gathered at Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple), we fully prostrate in the presence of the Holy One whose presence is felt in our very midst. In a similar vein, our prayer leader counts out loud the sprinkling of blood just as the High Priest would count as he would sprinkle the blood of the goat eight times between the staves of the ark within a handbreadth of the kaporet (the arc’s cover): “One. One plus one. One plus two. One plus three, etc.” The counting then continued up to eight, as the task was completed with great precision and focus. Rav Moshe Avigdor Amiel zt”l, who served as the chief rabbi of Tel-Aviv from 1936 until his passing from the world in 1949, offers an insightful comment to the High Priest’s counting of the sprinkling of the blood. Rav Amiel writes, “If the sprinkling of the blood of oxen and goats requires such focused attention, how much more so must we be attentive when we cast our own blood, for indeed, each and every year, each of us sprinkles away our own blood, our own potential and strength.” In the same piece, Rav Amiel urges each person to carefully count each year of their life so as to make sure that every year in a person’s life is truly counted. Indeed, Rav Amiel notes, our diligent accounting of time should not only be performed on Rosh HaShanah, but whenever possible, it should be done throughout the year. Rav Amiel’s point is critical - Time is a precious lot. While many of us cannot account for our use of hours, days, months and years on a regular basis, we can certainly strive to do so at least once a year, on Rosh HaShannah and or Yom Kippur. In that spirit, Rav Amiel’s image of a time accountant may be relevant and apt for many of us as we strive to do our personal, both spiritual and ethical, accounting (certainly, many of us delay doing our taxes, as well as our teshuvah accounting, till the very last possible moment!). Indeed, the image of the time accountant helps raise a few central and practical questions. Consider these examples: Do I have all my receipts (or in other words, do I have a good recollection of all that I’ve done)? Have I incurred any debt this year (or in other words, am I indebted to any person or owe anything to anyone)? Have I spent my resources within my means or in strategic and thoughtful ways (or in other words, what have I done with the time, energy, means, and potential with which I was endowed this past year)? Finally, do I need the service of an accountant (or in other words, do I need the help of a friend or relative, a teacher, a guide, or any other expert, to help me get the books of my life in order)? These questions, the same sort of questions we diligently consider as we file our taxes, can be critical in the very weeks and days that lead up to Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur. Our sages have noted that the depth of kedushah (holiness) must always be measured by the depth of hachannah (preparation). Simply put, the more we prepare, the more holiness we get to contain, experience, and generate. In that vein, I hope that this High Holidays we will all come more fully prepared. Let us take Rav Amiel’s challenge to heart and make the time before the holidays to pose these very tough questions to ourselves, to our loved ones, and to our community. As we do so, I bless all of us with the High Priest’s meditative count: “One. One plus one. One plus two. One plus three, etc.” – may each moment count, may each of our actions and interactions count, may each of our mitzvoth count, may all of our efforts count.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:35:58 +0000
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