Several hours before the Rosh HaShana holiday began, my wife and I received a phone call from our son who is studying in Israel for the year. Knowing that he was on his way back to his Yeshiva after having spent Shabbat in Tel Aviv, I was getting a bit worried because I always worry when he or any of my kids travel. So when he called, I felt relieved; I wasn’t even thinking about Rosh HaShanah. After he told us he was safe at his Yeshiva and was getting ready for Rosh HaShanah, he wished us a Shanah Tovah. Then he thanked us. He not only thanked us for giving him the opportunity to spend a gap year in Israel, and he thanked us for our supporting his decision to attend that particular Yeshiva. He thanked us for being his parents. I smiled and said two words to him. One word sums up the reason we wanted him to follow the news and be involved in the community- Perspective. The other word allowed her to cope with hardship, discomfort, or any challenge – Clarity. Usually, clarity occurs when one is able to sense moments of extreme possibility. I know that I had great moments of clarity when each of my children was born. I also had great moments of clarity when my grandfather passed away a few years ago. Life and death provide perspective, clarity, and appreciation of the essence of life.
In this week’s Parsha, Va’Yeileich, perhaps for the last time, Moshe experiences a moment of clarity. However, of all the moments of clarity including the Burning Bush, the Revelation at Sinai, and his Personal Revelation when he saw the back of God while defending B’nai Yisroel following the episode of the Golden Calf; it is the moment of death to which we can all relate. It is at the moment of impending death that Moshe has perfect clarity. He sees and understands the anguish that his children will experience as they drift towards and away from their Covenant with God. He sees all that his life has been and he recognizes that while his life will be no more, there will be closure. Ki Yadati Acharei Motie Ki Hashcheit Tashchitun v’Sartem Min HaDerech Asher Tziviti Etchem V’Karat Etchem Ha’Ra’Ah B’Acharit Hayamim Ki Ta’Asu et Ha’Rah B’Einei Adoshem L’Hachiso B’Ma’Asei Y’deichem – For I know that after my death you will surely act corruptly, and you will stray from the path that I have commanded you, and evil will befall you at the end of days, if you do what is evil in the eyes of HaShem, to anger Him through your handiwork (Deut.31:29). We should note that closure does not necessarily mean that the content of the closure will be positive, however, the process of closure is always positive. Our sages are adamant about the vital importance of closure. If a person engages in Tshuvah, a repentant return to God, and Vidui, confession even if the moment before death it is tantamount to a person who has returned to living a life of Mitzvot. In a moment of clarity, certainly, such a moment exists at death, Moshe has the opportunity to make that moment holy, sanctified, an un-wasted moment.
This is a very special time of year for The Jewish People. It is a very spiritual time of year. This ten-day period from Rosh HaShanah until Yom Kippur is known as the Aseret Yamei Teshuvah – the Ten Days of Repentance. As the name suggests, this is the time of year in which we seek M’chila or forgiveness for any transgression we have committed. We seek forgiveness from God, and we seek forgiveness from family and friends. Mostly, it seems to me, that during these ten days, we honestly look at ourselves and assume that we have hurt others instead of being shocked when we find out that we can hurt another. The ability to engage in this process known as Tshuvah, the process of returning to the holiest aspect of our being, requires great clarity. Sometimes clarity occurs when one experiences a beginning, like a new life. Sometimes clarity comes at the conclusion, the death of a loved one. For our son, clarity came on a beautiful autumn day in Jerusalem as he thought about the path and trajectory of his life, leaving home, this current gap year, and then on to college/university. Perhaps, Shabbat Shuvah, the Shabbat of Return, reminds us of the importance of allowing those moments of clarity to serve as a source of spiritual strength.
Rav Yitz
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