Rabbi Linda's blog

Friends – on Rosh Hashanah I shared how we can work on ourselves and on cultivating the attributes of humility and of judging others favorably through a story about my responses to a baseball game and to a pitcher who pitched a “no hitter”. If you interested in learning more about how to engage with the practice of mussar, please let me know.

In these days of awe we are called to examine ourselves and our deeds and to notice where we need to make large or even very small course corrections. We are not expected to be perfect, to pitch a no hitter. We are simply asked to become better versions of who we have been. But here’s the catch. Baseball seasons come and go and High Holiday seasons come once a year, but the process of working on ourselves is an ongoing project, one that we are to engage with every single day.

And just as many of us have daily or weekly exercise routines to stay physically fit, Judaism offers daily and weekly practices to help us stay spiritually fit. Shabbat is one such practice. Mussar, working on our soul traits, is another.

This morning I spoke of just two of these soul traits – judging others favorably and with humility. So one more look at these two traits. JUDGING OTHERS FAVORABLY: If we judge others favorably, we change the world by changing ourselves. If we get into the habit of routinely trying to find the good in others, over time, we will become more positive, more loving, more approachable people…

These holidays also help us to practice anava or humility, for what is more humbling than confronting our mortality and the limitations of our humanity. With appropriate humility in place, we are ready to engage the process of teshuva, which requires identifying our mistakes, feeling remorse, repairing what we can and committing not to return to them again. It’s very hard work and it is absolutely humbling…

I have one more idea to share… the role of community. Pitcher Lorenzen noted the experience of being cheered on by the crowd and said that the cheering supported him to do his best. So I want to ask you today, when you imagine yourself working to be the best version of yourself, can you imagine the crowd cheering for you, believing in you, supporting you?

For in a way, Jewish tradition is cheering for you. The Jewish idea of teshuva implies that we are all capable of change and repair for the better. It is optimistic. It believes in us. It’s almost as if you have a huge community, across time and space, cheering you on, believing in your goodness and in your ability to grow. And you don’t even have to pitch a no hitter.

Just be a little bit better tomorrow than you were today.

In a quieter way, let’s fill this sanctuary with the spirit that filled that sports stadium, but instead of cheering for one, let’s cheer for all. As we move through this season, as we pray with one another, let’s pray for one another and believe that each of us has the ability and the will to grow in goodness and in good deeds. May we cheer each other on, with every utterance of prayer, every note of music, with all our heart, with all our soul, with everything we have. Go team! Shana Tova.