Rabbi Michael Samuel

As I prepare my thoughts for Rosh Hashanah. I become aware of time. Yes, the New Year has arrived. We are blessed to have received it. It ’s true that for many of us the arrival of any New Year on some level makes us a bit anxious. Why is that?!!Time marches on …. We are all a bit older, but are we necessarily wiser? Rosh Hashanah stresses that while time is fleeting, we are ultimately accountable for how we manage and sanctify our time.

According to Jewish folklore, the city of Chelm was famous for its notoriously foolish “wise men and women” Yet, despite their foolishness, there are many wonderful pearls of wisdom in these anecdotes because, in a paradoxical sense, we are all “Chelmites.”

On one occasion the Chelmites complained about the lack of time in their lives. It seemed that they had long lists of things to do and never had time for themselves. At a town meeting, the Chelmites arrived at what appeared to be a novel solution to their dilemma-They would bargain for more Time!They all agreed to send Raizel-her bargaining skills were legendary among the Chelmites.

After she traveled to Warsaw, she met with many of the Jewish leaders and finally negotiated a fixed price for a large shipment of time that would be sent by a train to Chelm. The shipment of time was late. Well, actually, it never arrived.

All the townspeople were complaining; they didn’t know what to do.

One day Beryl, the mayor’s uncle, came to visit and found everyone waiting in the town square. When the Chelmites told Beryl what they were waiting for, he began to laugh. “Foolish people,” he said, “You cannot buy time. You can only use what time you have. Someone has taken advantage of you because you have tried to buy something that cannot be sold.”

There is something more important than the measurement and control of time; how we spiritually utilize our time is also of great importance.

The Chelm story teaches us an important truth: time cannot be bought; it can only be consciously used; therefore, make time count.

In the words of the Psalms, “Teach us to number our days so that we might obtain a heart of wisdom”

Consider the average lifespan of a typical American:

Some years ago, a statistician wrote an interesting article containing how we as a nation usually spend our time. Pause — A 70‑year life span is spent according to this estimate:

Sleep ……… 23 years …………… 32.9%

Work ………. 16 years …………… 22.8%

TV ………… 8 years ……………. 11.4%

Eating …….. 6 years …………… 8.6%

Travel …….. 6 years …………… 8.6%

Leisure ….. 4.5 years …………… 6.5%

Illness ……. 4 years …………… 5.7%

Dressing …… 2 years …………… 2.8%

Religion …… 1/2 year …………… .7%

According to another statistical report, the average person in our country usually spends no less than 10% of his time worrying about the future! Despite our penchant for daydreaming, the simple truth is most us never live to realize our dreams because we are not living in the immediate present!

So, how do we become more aware of living in the moment? The first step involves becoming conscious of ourselves and our relationships toward others.

Plato used to say that the unexamined life is not worth living. Jewish tradition would certainly agree with this important statement. (mention Heschel -”a life well lived is what we should all strive for”-the point of Talmud!)

Rosh Hashanah gives each of us the chance to look at ourselves and reflect, review, and rethink who we are and what we have achieved in our lives. We need to be honest about our strengths and our weaknesses. We need to make a commitment to changing the quality of our lives for the better.

We should never see who we are and what we have created as the ultimate expression of who we ought to be. Nor should we allow our position in life to prevent us what we might possibly be.

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” — Albert Einstein

Recognizing the miraculous dimension of our lives will inspire us to do noble and wonderful deeds to improve the world around us.

In our sanctification of time, this holiday season stresses that we need to think the restoration of our interpersonal relationships. Making time holy is not necessarily a Herculean task but it does require that we be conscious of time in how we give towards others who are in need of our love and compassion.

Jewish mystical tradition often speaks about Tikkun Olam – improving the world and community, and family we belong to.

Sometimes parents grow apart from their children; other times adult children cease communicating with their siblings; our relationships have suffered from neglect and old issues that have weakened the bonds of love.

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur afford us the opportunity to renew the ties of love and family that bind us together.

Can I really make a difference? Of course you can! Decent people do it all the time!

Over the years, I have had Bat Mitzvah students grow their hair long before their bat mitzvah so that when they would get it cut, they could donate their hair to Locks of Love, which was later made into wigs for cancer victims undergoing chemotherapy.

To that individual receiving the new wig, their state-of-mind improved greatly and many of these women found the strength to eventually beat their cancer.

Getting involved in a reading literacy program to help people learn how to read is the kind of kindness that can open a world of endless discovery and wonder. By the same token, taking the time to read to elderly folks whose vision is impaired is also a simple act of kindness dedicated to the theme of tikkun olam.

Granted, these examples probably won’t make the front-page news; however, each of these individuals may illustrate how a random act of kindness can transform the darkness of our world into light.

This moment is of infinite significance. The Jewish New Year is a time when each of us has the opportunity to embark upon a path of self-criticism and self-reflection. This process ideally leads to what our Sages call “Teshuvah,” which is usually translated as “repentance.” Yet, such a translation is misleading. Teshuvah really means a return to our true selves and original innocence. You could say, the “return to God,” involves a “re-turning of our souls” to the ideals and values that have defined Jewish identity since the beginning of our people’s history.

To embrace teshuvah is the ultimate aspiration of our humanity; during this sacred time may not be able to achieve all of our ideals; yet, despite that reality, we can and should evaluate the lives we have created. Each of us must ask ourselves the question, ”Am I living a life well-lived”? On Sunday, when we listen to the Shofar, let us respond to that question and challenge ourselves to move forward and beyond what we believe ourselves to have achieved.

And may we all be blessed with good and sweet New Year!