4 September 2010 | 25 Elul 5770

If you have been coming around the synagogue during the last month, you have undoubtedly heard about the concept of Heshbone Ha’nefesh – “an accounting of one’s soul”.  Rabbi Sandler and I have talked about this age-old tradition of reflecting, contemplating and dissecting our actions throughout the past year with the hopes of preparing ourselves for an even better year to come. Besides self-improvement, it makes sense to do an accounting of one’s actions so that before we stand together on the Day of Atonement we will have an inkling of those things we are atoning for. When I was first introduced to this concept, I loved it – how great is Judaism that it provides space for thinking about our actions, both good and bad, and brings that process into the spiritual realm?  However, I quickly ran into a problem.  After I left the theoretical brilliance of this Jewish tradition, I quickly slammed into the reality… how do I do a Heshbone Ha’nefesh? Am I supposed to write everything down?  What about a support group? Maybe there is an “App” I can download to my phone.  Although doing a Heshbone Ha’nefesh seems like a good idea, execution proved daunting. As usual, we are able to look towards our Torah for some guidance.
  
Although the Torah does not specifically command us to do a Heshbone Ha’nefesh, there are intimations to the procedure and its importance. To my surprise, this year I noticed a Heshbone Ha’nefesh guide in the titles of our Torah portions. Focusing on the month of Elul, our first Torah portion was Parshat Shoftim – “Judges”. This is exactly what we are trying to do with a Heshbone Ha’nefesh – judge ourselves.  Next we read Parshat Ki Tetzei – “When You Go Out”. Think about all the places you “went out” this year. The adventures you had, the moments when you strayed off the path. This is step number two: think about where you have been this last year.  The week following we read parshat Ki Tavo – “When You Come In”.  Here we ask ourselves, “What lessons do we bring back when we come back in from our year in the world? What did we learn? What baggage do we hold onto from our journey? What kind of healing do we need to undergo?” 

This week we read parshat Netzavim – “Standing”. Now that we are back, we ask, “What do we stand for?  What do we stand against? Who do we stand with?” This week’s parsha is read together with parshat Va-Yeilekh – “And He Walked”.  After reflecting on the year that has past, assessing the lessons learned, figuring out for what and with whom we stand, we are now ready to go forward and walk into the New Year with purpose.

Simply by looking at the titles of each week’s parsha throughout the month of Elul, we are given a process for looking at our life and taking an accounting of our souls. With Rosh Hashannah only a few days away, I hope that these parsha headings can give us some direction. Although it is clear that our work is still great, sometimes a little guidance can make all the difference.

Shabbat Shalom and Shana Tova U’metuka – “A Sweet New Year”.