20 Sep elul tshuvah shorts

Tshuva – ‘Don’t hold on to that Lizard

As we are in the month of Elul and approaching the The Days of Reckoning…

One who does not do tshuvah (repentance and return)  but holds on to his impure ways such as ; drugs ,  anger and baseless hatred, lack of compassion, arrogance, manipulation, stealing … sins et al… is likened to one who enters a mikvah (purifying waters) holding on to a lizard .

Those who do not do tshuvah continue to create distance from themselves and true authentic reality.

The teachings of the Torah refer to this as creating a ‘klipot’, a shell or husk causing a separation from reality which can be removed through the process of tshuvah.

 
Ki Teitzei- Amalek

We read Parshas Ki Teitzei as we approach the Yom Tovim, as it speaks timely of a great enemy of the Jewish Nation… Amalek.

Although no longer the physical nation it once was, Amalek remains as a ‘force’ that continually undermines the Jew and his mission of Tikun Olam; rectifying ones self and the world. Amalek, operates sometimes in a most subtle way, causing our focus to be taken away from our mission of Tikun.

Today’s world offers many opportunities for the cunning ways for Amalek to embed itself and proliferate, especially with the power of social media where lies, allegations and derogatory speech is abundant. Truth is obscured and the void is filled with what becomes a counterfeit reality.

Politics and many other topics may cause one to be vulnerable to these prohibited practices of speech and posting. We shall not (be led nor) lead others astray’.

Amalek is cunning and will by its nature compromise our success at every turn. To defeat Amalek and the evil forces et al, we must strive to bring more goodness into this world by igniting the sparks of goodness through the tshuvah of ourselves and the Nation of Israel.

 
Aura of Torah                       ELUL              Leib Getzel (Lawrence) Lax

 

‘Do not lead others astray”

As we approach the Yom Tovim, we increase our vigilence to acknowledge and verbalize our wrongs (Vidui prayer) in the process of tshuvah.  Many congregations do this in the short form throughout the entire year.

One of the verses acknowledges that ‘We have led others astray’.

This is done on behalf of those who have given incorrect or misleading advice, perhaps personally, in business, on the internet or Facebook.

 
Meditation for a Ba’al Tokiah (Shofar Blower) cont.
A shofar blower must learn the halachas of shofar, and needs to be able to ‘nullify’ himself,  be humble,  to be the best conduit for elevating the tshuvah of the tsibor.  A shofar blower who blows a very extended Tokiah Gadolah may be lacking the necessary state of nullification and humility, and his focus  of bieng a conduit for the tshuvah of the tzibur may be compromised. Instead his focus may becomes about the aggrandizement and prowess of the shofar blower. It is suggested that the Tokiah Gadolah be appx 3x the length of the (6 sec) Tokiah or appx 18 sec.
Meditation for a Ba’al Tokiah (Shofar Blower)
It is only when the shofar blower is no longer bound by the physical constraints of blowing the shofar that he can truly become a conduit for the tshuvah of the community, as he is then freed to focus on the spiritual task at hand. (sefer ‘See the Sounds)