Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe

We do not wait for a generous impulse to give or to help others. That impulse may never surface, but if the world is built on kindness (Psalms 89:3) then enforced behaviors, witnessed and supported by communities of caring, help us manage our worst selves to bring out our best selves.

We are what we eat. We are how we eat. We are the way we manage everyday behavior that can easily spiral out of control, breaking the biblical prohibition: “But take utmost care and watch yourselves scrupulously”

Confession helps us name all the parts of a process that lead up to a particular outcome.

We return and then we return again. We have to keep returning because we change, and the world around us changes. In a universe without stasis, we cannot be caught standing still. The majestic endeavor of discovering human purpose beckons each and every day. And every day, we are invited to respond to that call. Hineni. I am here and fully present.

Blame was not going to save Ishmael, and it is not going to save us.

There is no room for change when we feel sorry for ourselves.

R. Elazar, in the Talmud, remarked that fasting is greater than charity, and explained himself: fasting is accomplished through one’s person while charity is only accomplished through one’s possessions.8 Fasting is meant to linger.

Teshuva is a never-ending process because we are always changing and the context of our universe is always shifting.

Like so many of us, he knew what he had to do to right his error, but he only embarked on the journey. He did not complete it.