A Time to See

The dog days of summer are thankfully coming to an end. "Dog days of summer" refers to the hottest, most sluggish stretch of summer. The traditional dates of this season, per the Old Farmer's Almanac, run July 3 to August 11. Many states, including Florida, begin their school season in mid-August, and for many parents, it’s a moment not too soon! Another season that begins this coming week is the season of Elul. This is the month before Rosh Hashanah and is traditionally a time of reflection and introspection. ​ It can be hard to get into the headspace of Elul, especially as the rest of the world is still caught up in trips to the beach, time in the pool, and relaxing vacations. The messages of Elul can feel disconnected for us, as a call to reflect and introspect is not something that gets us excited right now. Furthermore, we might wonder what difference it makes if we get engaged in the season of Elul, considering that most people around don't have spiritual reflection at the top of their to-do list. ​ There is a powerful insight based on the first word of this week's parsha, which incidentally is the name of the parsha, ראה or Re’eh. The literal translation of ראה is “see,” but that does not capture the meaning. Hebrew grammar is more precise than English, where there is a different word for seeing depending on whether you're addressing an individual or a group. If you are addressing an individual, you would say ראה. If one is addressing a group of people, the correct word choice would be ראו. The latter part of the verse is encouraging us to look at the important choices we make. ​ The larger message is that the Torah is addressing us in our responsibility as individuals. It’s so easy for one to second-guess the impact he can have as an individual, as there are so many others who can be engaged or make a difference. The Talmud teaches us that one should view oneself as having the same amount of assets and liabilities in the spiritual realm. Additionally, we should view the entire world as having equal amounts of assets and liabilities on our spiritual spreadsheets. If one individual does just one Mitzvah, he can tilt the entire world in the right direction. Unfortunately, the opposite is true as well. ​ We begin the month of Elul this coming week, and it’s a call for reflection and introspection as we begin to blow the shofar every weekday morning. It’s much easier in the short term to ignore the call. Let's make the courageous choice to answer the call and, as our Parsha teaches us, to open our eyes and finally “see” what’s in front of us. Have a Peaceful Shabbos, Rabbi Yaakov Fisch