Solemn yet festive. Full of trepidation yet sparkling with hope. A reunion with our loving Father and at the same time a command appearance before our All-Powerful King. Rosh Hashanah is upon us once again followed by the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah and the grand finale Yom Kippur. Clearly the powerful emotional and spiritual forces afoot during this period are meant to move us from our spot on the spiritual map.
But it’s hard to move. Despite the frightening strains of Unesaneh Tokef awakening our hearts to the life-and-death judgment we are facing we worry that we may not even manage to carry our spiritual reawakening out the door of the shul. We tend to give up believing in our capacity for meaningful change fearing that our teshuvah and resolutions for improvement will be no more substantial than our most recent weight-loss effort.
But this nagging sense of futility is unwarranted for the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah are unlike any other days of the year. They are an Eis Ratzon – a time of favor – in which the universe is imbued with a special potential for teshuvah forgiveness and renewal. This is the time of year when we can count on Hashem’s help in ascending to our better selves – His powerful boost for our climb up the spiritual ladder.
While it is true that Hashem is always there ready to receive our teshuvah this is a time when G-d’s “ear” so to speak is far more inclined toward us. By way of analogy think of the sun. It shines from its spot in the heavens every day but in mid-summer we experience its rays far more powerfully than we do in mid-winter. It’s the same sun burning at the same intensity and yet at certain times we are able to access far more of its heat and light.
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