Jewish Life Digital Edition September 2015 | Page 44

NEW YEAR’S

RESOLUTIONS

in September

Making changes that will last I BY RABBI AKIVA MALES

IN THE AUTUMN OF 1988, I BEGAN A NEW CHAPTER
in my life. It had been almost a year since
I delivered my barmitzvah speech in my
family’s warm suburban synagogue, and
just a few months after I’d completed
eighth grade at the Hebrew Academy of
Cleveland – the Jewish day school I had
attended since playschool.
That autumn, I was a freshman settling
into the dormitory of the Wisconsin Institute for Torah Study (WITS) – a yeshiva
high school in Milwaukee, where the next
four years would pass far too quickly.
I cannot adequately describe in these
few lines the camaraderie, Jewish learning, and new experiences that were an integral part of my high school years on the
shores of Lake Michigan. I would, however, like to share one episode of that first
semester that I will never forget.
It was September, and we could all

40 JEWISH LIFE ■ ISSUE 88

sense the rapidly changing season. The
leaves were starting to colour, and we
watched deer gracefully dart through the
yeshiva’s property and disappear into
the woods. We had also enjoyed a Rosh
Hashanah holiday unlike any we had
known in our hometown synagogues. We
had less than a week of yeshiva remaining until Yom Kippur – after which we

would return to our homes across the
country to celebrate Sukkot together
with our families.
Aside from being the start of the Jewish year, Rosh Hashanah also begins the
period known as Aseret Y’mei Teshuvah –
the Ten Days of Repentance, which culminate with Yom Kippur. Our ninth-grade
Talmud instructor, Rabbi Powers, explained that while G-d, according to Jewish tradition, welcomes our sincere return
to Him throughout the year, it is these 10
days of the Jewish calendar that provide
us with an optimum opportunity to approach, reconnect, and rebuild our relationship with our Creator.
Although we had only known Rabbi
Powers for a few weeks, my classmates
and I felt a strong connection to him. He
had an infectious smile, a sense of unbridled enthusiasm, and a palpable sense of
concern for each of his young charges.
In the spirit of the Ten Days of Repentance, Rabbi Powers asked us each to take
out a pen and a piece of paper so we could
embark on a learning experience together. He asked us to spend a minute or two
in thought and then compile a private list
of what we would each like to change
about ourselves in the coming year in order to become a better Jewish person.
While I have no recollection of the items I
came up with, I will never forget that day’s
lesson. After a few minutes, Rabbi Powers
asked us to look over our lists and cross off
half the items. We were puzzled by his request. Why did he put us through the effort
of compiling a lengthy New Year’s resolution list if we were just going to cross off
half? Rabbi Powers had earned our trust,

OUR NINTH-GRADE TALMUD INSTRUCTOR, RABBI
POWERS, EXPLAINED THAT WHILE G-D WELCOMES
OUR SINCERE RETURN TO HIM THROUGHOUT THE
YEAR, IT IS THESE 10 DAYS OF THE JEWISH CALENDAR
THAT PROVIDE US WITH AN OPTIMUM OPPORTUNITY
TO APPROACH, RECONNECT, AND REBUILD OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH OUR CREATOR.

PHOTOGRAPH: BIGSTOCKPHOTO.COM

ROSH HASHANAH 5776