Elul 8
Here is one of my favorite stories:
One day, Gandhi was
approached by a woman who was deeply concerned that her son ate too much
sugar. “I am worried about his health,”
she said. “He respects you very much. Would you be willing to tell him about its
harmful effects and suggest he stop eating it?”
After reflecting on the request, Gandhi told the woman that he would do
as she requested, but asked that she bring her son back in two weeks, no
sooner. In two weeks, when the boy and
his mother returned, Gandhi spoke with him and suggested that he stop eating
sugar. When the boy complied with
Gandhi’s suggestion, his mother thanked Gandhi extravagantly but asked him why
he had insisted on the two-week interval.
“Because,” he replied, “I needed the two weeks to stop eating sugar
myself.”
-
told
by Al Gore in the compilation Rosh HaShanah Readings ed. by Rabbi Dov
Peretz Elkins
Often it is easier to see the flaws in others than to see
the flaws within ourselves. How many
times in a week might we catch ourselves pointing out the shortcomings of our
partners? Our children? Our parents?
Our friends? As human beings we
are constantly making judgments about the world around us – including judgments
about others. During these days of Elul our
awareness of how quick we can be to judge is heightened. A moment of teshuva, of turning, can come when we realize what we are doing,
and choose a different path. When the
impulse to criticize or “rehabilitate” others arises, we remind ourselves to instead
look within, and do our best to work on those same imperfections within our own
characters.
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