CHOOSE TO SHINE

Choose to Shine 

I am flying high, literally. I am composing this on my way back from a magical trip to Iceland. It is impossible to visit the Land of Fire and Ice without feeling palpable awe at the works of the Creator. Vast expanses of lava rock, mighty geysers, majestic glaciers, and even volcanoes generate a sense of wonder. One feels humbled at the sight of millions of gallons of water constantly descending across 10,000 waterfalls. Hiking across the stark beauty of the landscape against the ocean coupled with the seagulls and puffins flying overhead brought me to tears. I must give special thanks to Lebor Tours and Gaya Tours for making this possible in a place that usually offers few kosher options. 

One of my fellow tourists spoke on Shabbos about his journey. As a child, he was raised to fear Hashem. He was frequently exposed to impatient outbursts at high volume at home. That fear was palpable for him, to the point of being overwhelming. He did not react well to the constant anxiety he felt. He had to find his own way to the love and joy of Yiddishkeit. He told us that he had an epiphany. “Yiras Hashem”, or “fear of G-d”, can also be translated as “to see Hashem”. When we see Hashem in everything, our entire relationship with Him is transformed. By recognizing Him in every situation, we bring ourselves to an elevated level of spirituality. This generates tremendous gratitude as well as a reflexive sense of duty, purpose, and awe. By realizing everything He does for us, we naturally want to somehow repay our Benefactor. We are motivated to obey His will and to do anything we can to live life at a higher level. Hashem wants us to enjoy His world. That is why He created so many different forms of pleasure for His creations to enjoy. He also provided the Original Manufacturer’s Instructions, aka the Torah, to instruct us how to experience it fully. We are warned against the pitfalls of listening to our evil inclinations to our detriment. He does this out of unimaginably deep love and concern for us, regardless of how we measure up to our potential.

This is not meant to diminish the awe one should feel especially during the High Holy Days, or at any other time of the year.  But in our generation there appears to be a disconnect, a yearning for more than the fire and brimstone of yesteryear. 

Another one of the guests on the tour spoke about her personal experience with more than 1000 children from religious families who are struggling and failing in our schools, to the point of being kicked out or even refused entry. These kids are barely teenagers, yet they do not fit into the regular system. Many of them have left yeshivah in their early teens and are at risk of being on the street, or unfortunately, are already there. Her organization, “Work At It”, tries to help them find what they are good at. Many have never been told that they are good at anything. By determining where their skills and interests lie, they can secure employment, which gives them feelings of self-worth and improved self- esteem. 

It is not my intent to lay blame on the system or anywhere else; rather, I believe it is time to focus on the unconditional love of our fellow Jews, especially all of our youth. There is no valid reason for anyone to feel excluded from the vibrancy of Jewish life. We are taught in Proverbs 22:6 to educate our youth each according to his path. Some can sit through hours of instruction, and others require other means of feeling worthy. With patience and love, I feel that we can reach every child.

I do not have the answers given the scale and special challenges of the world today. I do know that we cannot give up on any child, no matter the cost. We must do a better job of including everyone possible, regardless of the challenges. With this in mind, I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.