Rabbi Weinberg's Elul Thought for the Day

Tuesday Sept 1
Today is the twelfth day of elul!
Today our kids are going back to (Zoom) school! We have “first day of school pictures” for our kids going back all the way to the year when Joseph began 2 year old nursery seven years ago.  The “first day of school picture” this year looks a bit different than in the past since it was taken in our house and not at school…😊 The return to “school” today is a tremendously satisfying moment for us because we get to see our kids return to learning, structure, and connection with their teachers.  However, it is also a tough moment as the thoughts and speculations about another school year shaped by COVID become a reality.  It is that uncertainty, that duality of anxiety and possibility that is the nature of human life: Any given moment, choice, event, and interaction is filled with uncertainty and has the potential to be a disappointing failure or a huge success.  Perhaps all this is rooted in the fundamental statement made by the Rambam about the consequences of free choice (Hilchot Teshuva 5:1): “Free will is granted to all men. If one desires to turn himself to the path of good and be righteous, the choice is his. Should he desire to turn to the path of evil and be wicked, the choice is his.” May our choices in today’s uncertain moments be good ones and yield us great success!