“RABBI’S
MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Ki Setzei
10 Elul 5774/September 5, 2014
Pirkei Avos – Perek 2
How many taxes are filed on the night of
April 14? Just ask all the accountants who come to the Seder bleary eyed. And
how many people file for extensions and don’t complete them until October 14?
My Rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, often wryly
notes that the procrastinator’s club is holding their first meeting… next week.
People procrastinate because they feel
too anxious to do what they need/want to do. The problem is that
procrastinating only exacerbates feelings of anxiety. When a person
procrastinates he feels more stressed that, not only is he shirking his
responsibilities, but he is also doing nothing to accomplish that goal. It becomes
a vicious cycle.
In life generally, we settle into our
comfort zone in which we feel secure, knowing what and when to expect things.
We like the familiar and predictable. To expand our comfort zone requires
optimism and a confidence to step into the vast unknown. It also entails the
willingness and ‘guts’ to risk failure. Often we shy away from opportunities
because we don’t want to place ourselves in uncomfortable situations.
The problem is that if we don’t expand
our comfort zone it begins to shrink. We start to lose confidence in our
abilities and faith in ourselves. To feel accomplished and successful one needs
to challenge his surroundings and be willing to feel periodically uncomfortable.
So often we don’t progress until
something forces us to. “Good enough is the enemy of better”, and we often
reason that we are doing good enough! If and when we are forced out of our
comfort zone by life situations we often resist mightily. But if we persevere
and are able to adequately traverse the challenge, we look back at that impetus
as a blessing in disguise.
The opening words of Shaarei Teshuva
state: “From amongst the goodness that G-d, blessed is He, has bestowed upon
His creations, is that he has prepared for them a path to ascend from the depth
of their actions and to flee the abyss of sin, to save their souls from utter
destruction, and to turn His wrath away from them.”
In his commentary, Rav Matisyahu Salomon
shlita explains that if the Shaarei Teshuva commences by relating to us how
great the gift of teshuva is, then it follows that we should feel joy and
internal happiness when engaging in teshuva.
Elul and Tishrei are days of solemn
introspection. But beyond that arduous soul work lies great satisfaction and
fulfillment. All the issues and ‘stuff’ that we push off dealing with all year
round, now stand before us like a brick wall. We want to flee its grasp and run
back to our idyllic life of complacency and rote. But Rosh Hashanah and Yom
Kippur are rapidly approaching and we don’t want to lose the opportunity
afforded to us.
When we indeed embrace the challenge that
confronts us to scrutinize ourselves and contemplate how we can be better
spouses, parents, children, community members, Torah Jews, etc. we will feel
that sense of deep joy that results from fulfilling our responsibilities once
and for all and expanding the confines of our little selfish world.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum