הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, עֲשֵׂה רְצוֹנוֹ כִרְצוֹנְךָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיַּעֲשֶׂה רְצוֹנְךָ כִרְצוֹנוֹ. בַּטֵּל רְצוֹנְךָ מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנוֹ, כְּדֵי שֶׁיְּבַטֵּל רְצוֹן אֲחֵרִים מִפְּנֵי רְצוֹנֶךָ. הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר, וְאַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ, וְאַל תָּדִין אֶת חֲבֵרְךָ עַד שֶׁתַּגִּיעַ לִמְקוֹמוֹ, וְאַל תֹּאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁאִי אֶפְשָׁר לִשְׁמֹעַ, שֶׁסּוֹפוֹ לְהִשָּׁמַע. וְאַל תֹּאמַר לִכְשֶׁאִפָּנֶה אֶשְׁנֶה, שֶׁמָּא לֹא תִפָּנֶה
 
 
“This was his motto: ‘Do God’s will as if it were your own, so that God may do your will as God’s own. Adapt your will to God’s will so that God may change the will of others instead of yours.’ Hillel said, ‘Don’t separate yourself from the community. Don’t be overconfident until the day of your death. Don’t judge your fellow human being until you have reached that person’s place. Don’t say anything that is unintelligible with the hope that it will be understood. And don’t say ‘When I have leisure, I will study’-perhaps, you never will have that leisure.” [1] Pirkei Avot: 2:4
 
Commentary:
 
Do God’s Will: Rashi[2] suggests that one can devote oneself to God while still taking care of one’s own needs. Our challenge is to hear God’s voice in the world and try to determine what God wants us to do.
 
Discernment
In Jewish Spiritual Direction, listening for God’s voice in the world is called discernment. The practice of discernment results from a cultivation of various spiritual practices such as mindfulness and awareness (usually aided by meditation practices) and the practice of sacred and holy listening: listening for that which lies beneath the surface. When we still our minds, sink into to that which we are experiencing, both good and bad, we allow ourselves to hear what lies in our hearts: divine truth. From this place of divine truth, we can ask questions of ourselves, and of God such as “how do I proceed?” “What is my invitation?” “Which path should I follow?” Listen to what arises in your heart, it may be surprising, and it is a divine gift.
 

Don’t Separate Yourself: Rashi comments that one should not separate from the community when it is experiencing difficulties so that one can be united with it when [the community] is experiencing joy. Another commentator, Bartinoro[3] ,suggests that one who will not be with the community in times of sorrow will never be able to be with it in times of joy.
 
Inclusion
It is normal to run away from subjects, experiences, or people that make us uncomfortable. We fear what we do not understand or know. Our “fight or flight” instinct kicks in at the sign of danger, and usually, we run away from fear, not head on towards it. We must plunge ourselves into the danger, the fear, the unknown and discomfort. Working with our community as partners through the struggle, we become a part of the community in which we live. Sharing in the struggle allows one to transcend the differences, danger, and discomfort we may experience as individuals and as a whole community. Then we may celebrate in times of joy, since as a community, we will have experienced times of sorrow together.
 
Don’t Judge Your Fellow Human-Being: Bartinoro suggests that, if you see your neighbor ensnared by some temptation, do not judge your neighbor harshly until you have faced the same temptation and mastered it.
 
Empathy
In order to show empathy to your fellow companions, you must first imagine yourself standing in their shoes. As we approach the new year, we approach Ha Yom HaDin. The Day of Judgement. Who is judged and who is THE Judge? God, the divine, our community, our families, our children, our loved ones. We are both the Judge and Judgee. We must be mindful of this precarious position. How can we truly judge ourselves, or God, or our community, until we have placed ourselves in the other’s position? It is only from a place of Chessed, or loving kindness that we can offer the strength of “judgement”.
 
 
Don’t Say Anything That Is Unintelligible: Maimonides[4] suggests that one’s statements should be easily understood. Based on the Hebrew word “לִשְׁמֹעַ,” Lishmoa, which can mean either “to understand” or “to hear,” Bartinoro suggests, “Don’t say something you shouldn’t just because you think no once can hear it; you never know who might indeed hear you!”
 
Clarity
We have all felt misunderstood at some point in our lives. Perhaps we have given unclear directions or feedback. Maybe we have misrepresented ourselves or our feelings in some way that has caused unnecessary hurt or duress. We have all been in those awkward situations, gossiping, or discussing matters that are inappropriate, or confidential with the wrong people. Then later you come to find the subject of your gossip having heard your entire conversation. In this new year, let us strive for clarity in our communication with one another. Let our lips be guarded from speaking evil, and let us be mindful of our speech and with whom we share our sacred art of conversation.
 
When I Have Leisure: For Maimonides, study should not be a function of leisure. Rather, study should be a fixed part of your daily routine.
 
Practice:
We are creatures of habit. We build routines around habits that maintain our hygiene, keep us healthy physically and build strong relationships. What about creating a habit of study? Building space into some part of the day, a mere 5-10 minutes to grow our knowledge? Instead, we push that time away, thinking it is too much of a luxury, or we are to busy to grow mindfully in knowledge. Building knowledge deepens our understanding and connection to the world, which in turn builds stronger and healthier communities and relationships. Learning about the world and creating stronger bonds between people allows the possibility for each person to live a fuller, richer, more meaningful life. All too soon, we will not have that time to push away any longer. This year, take a few minutes and build a “practice” into your daily routine.  Open a book of poetry, read and reflect upon the words. Study the parshat ha-shavuah, the Torah portion of the week, and read a commentary or two about it. Pick up a copy of Pirkei Avot (the basis for this article) and learn about Jewish ethics, the art of living well within the world around us.


[1] Editing, Text and Translation by Leonard Kravitz, and Kerry Olitzky: “Pirkei Avot: A Modern Commentary on Jewish Ethics.” pp. xiii 20-21

[2] Rashi (1040-1105) born in Troyes France, and lived in Worms, Germany. Rashi’s commentary is generally a straightforward exposition of the terms presented.

[3] Ovadiah ben Abraham Bartinoro (b.2nd half of 15th century) in Bartinoro, Italy. One of the most widely accepted commentators on the entire Mishna, he wrote his commentary from Jerusalem where he was head of the community. Bartinoro’s commentary is a clear exposition of the best of Rashi and Maimonides”

[4] Maimonides (1135-1204) Philosopher and Physician, wrote his own commentary on the Mishna, called Mishneh Torah” His commentary in this editing and translation is noted as a philosophical reading of the text. 

​“Each of us, according to our deeds, either closes up the conduits of our souls or we open them and draw down blessing for [Adonai]. Tzadikkim are called “love-people (anshei chesed)” because all of their deeds are directed to doing lovingkindness for the [Adonai] and with their souls.
When a wicked person does teshuva, he/she opens up the wellspring of his/her soul ([that which had the quality of a dry wasteland and desolation]) and brings down love…that which had been previously parched land [now] transforms into springs of water.

The purpose of Abraham’s travels was to spread his particular quality, that of love-chessed. Abraham brought about by means of his acts, [the land of] Beth El, that loving kindness should be revealed in it. And loving-kindness is called “El” as in “God’s love never ceases.” [Abraham] drew down lovingkindness for [Adonai] by means of his good deeds, opening up the lights of the wellsprings of his soul, thereby also opening up the conduits by which blessing pours out [to Adonai]”

-Paraphrase of Degel Machaneh Efraim, from a discussion of Lech Lecha. Translated by Jonathan Slater, and adapted by Cantor Lauren Adesnik.

Tekia! The shofar sounds brash and rich during this month of Elul. For an entire month, each morning, the shofar blasts in the communities of Israel, signifying the special time of preparation that leads up to the High Holy Days. Imagine waking each morning to the sound of the Shofar. Feel its reverberations in your bones, leading you to look deeply inside yourself and examine your connections with your family, friends, loved ones, community, God, the universe.

This special preparation is called cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting, or checking in with our soul. What does it mean to “check in with your soul?” Why is there an entire month devoted to this practice? What does it mean to do teshuva, and how is that turning and returning connected to loving kindness?

Opening our hearts and exploring the deep innards of our soul can be quite scary. We are asking ourselves to move into a place of the unknown, we don’t know what may or may not come up for us. We are fearful of what we may encounter. We are afraid perhaps, that we may not encounter anything. What if we feel as though we cannot connect to ourselves, or connect to something greater? If we feel disconnected does that mean there is nothing greater, no divine presence or God to connect to? Does this mean we are limited in how we can connect to the world around us?

This journey is treacherous if not undertaken with great care. . The month of Elul gives us that time to slowly open ourselves up, to fully embrace those things in our lives and our hearts that can be the most difficult and painful to face: our notion of a divine presence in this world, faults, guilt, mistakes, those things we have done and that have been done to us that have hurt the most.

Going to those deep dark places would be impossible without chessed, loving-kindness. Making that journey without a sense of love and compassion would leave us blinded, with no sense of direction; clothed in darkness. We go to the dark places so that we can return to the light that is present for us. The journey we embark upon and the gentle loving tending to our souls that we bring to this journey is a practice of Chessed. The gentle care we can offer others this month can open us to feel blessings even amidst the darkest places within us. By offering chessed to others, we become more able to offer that gentle loving kindness to ourselves. This act becomes our Teshuva, our turning through darkness, returning to light.
​
Spiritual Practice: Opening ourselves to Adonai:
Sit in mindful silence each day and notice any blockages.  What keeps you from being open to the flow of blessings of [insert your preferred word here, i.e. God, divine presence, the universe]? When you notice a blockage, breathe into it and probe for how it may get unblocked. Maybe its anger that requires reaching out to the object of your anger. Maybe it’s an old habit (or a new one) that calls for a change of routine. Maybe it’s a wound that needs your compassionate attention. Notice, probe, and then devote some time each day to addressing the blockage.