Newsletter September 27, 2011 - 28 Elul 5771
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In 1992, a 46-year-old woman, Hannah, underwent a neurological examination at a hospital in Vienna, Austria. The neurologist began by asking Hannah to describe his own face. It was an odd question, but Hannah complied. The doctor had short hair and was clean shaven, she said; he wasn't wearing glasses, and he looked like he had a bit of a tan. The doctor next asked Hannah about an object in front of her. It was a notebook, she answered, like the kind school children use, with a brown cover and some writing in Latin script that she couldn't quite make out. And where exactly was the book located, the doctor asked her. He was holding it up in his left hand, Hannah replied, at just about eye level.
The trouble was this: the doctor's face was concealed behind a screen, the object in front of his patient was a comb, and before asking about its location, he'd hidden it beneath the table in front of him. Hannah was blind. One month earlier, she had suffered a stroke that destroyed virtually her entire visual cortex. All that was bad enough. But Hannah was also left with a rarer and stranger problem: she didn't know that she was blind. (Being Wrong; Kathryn Schultz)
Rosh Hashanah is not a time to address our mistakes. I believe it is the time for us to consider all the things about which we are certain. Most of our life patterns are based on convictions. Hopefully, we serve God in the manner we are convinced is true. We take stands on issues about which we are certain. We constantly justify our behavior by insisting, "This is what God wants!" The Day of Judgment is not for us to examine the things we have done wrong, but to reexamine all the things about which we are convinced that we are right. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of being blind without realizing that we have lost our vision.
Are we willing to examine whether we are praying properly? Do we have the clarity to evaluate the way we observe Shabbat? Do we have the vision to reconsider our relationship with God? Are our eyes sufficiently open to see the way we treat people with whom we disagree? Do we have the clarity to consider our priorities in charity? Are we choosing the proper friends?
Rosh Hashanah is an opportunity to see the world with fresh eyes. It is our chance to examine the way we see the world the rest of the year. It is the day on which we can view life through the eyes of the King. The Shofar reminds us of the shofar of Mount Sinai, about which the verse says, "They saw the sounds." The shofar not only challenges us to hear God's voice, but to see how that voice reverberates in the way we live.
"Let everything that has been made know that You are its Maker, let everything that has been molded understand that You are its Molder, and let everything with a life's breath in its nostrils proclaim: God, the Lord of Israel, is King, and His kingship rules over everything."
I wish you a New Year of exceptional clarity that will lead to infinite blessings, joy and growth, and a Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Simcha L. Weinberg President If you are interested in sponsoring our  winning Newsletter, please email info@thefoundationstone.org Go to our Blog  Follow us on Twitter   Become a Fan  |
