Find your I
What is the significance of Parashas Re’eh coinciding with Rosh Chodesh Elul and our individual self-growth?
What is the significance of Parashas Re’eh coinciding with Rosh Chodesh Elul and our individual self-growth?
I would like to suggest an idea. The Parashah starts off:
רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה׃
See, this day I set before you blessing and curse:
Perhaps a non-literal translation can read as follows: It is the month of Elul, take a look at the I within you, you will see that everything can either be a blessing or a curse. I am showing you what you can be, what you are destined to be.
My father often shares the teaching of his great Rebbe, Rav Scheinberg zt’l: “Everything in life is either a Kiddush Hashem or a Chillul Hashem”. When faced with the myriad choices we make on a daily basis, we must discern whether the outcome would be positive or negative, will it be a for a blessing or a curse
As we do this, we can then turn back to Hashem and say, “look at the I”. There may be good in me, and there may be bad in me, but look at the I, I am trying to be holier. I am trying to make the right choices. I am the I which you envisioned for me. Through all the struggles we have within, and we all have those struggles, we can each remember that we are exactly how Hashem envisioned us. Those struggles all make up our Anochi, they make up the essence of each of us.
“ In life, we do things. Some, we wish we had never done, and some we wish we could replay a million times, but they make us who we are, and in the end they shape and detail us. If we were to reserve them, we wouldn't be the person we are today. So just live. Make mistakes and have wonderful memories. But never for a second forget who you are, where you've been, and most importantly, where you’re going. “ - Unknown
Let’s take this further, it says "Re'eh Anochi" in singular, "Nosein Lifneichem Hayom", is already in plural. We like to think that in order to fit into a society, you have to give up your individuality. In fact, it's the other way around. If you want to be part of "Nosein Lifneichem Hayom", if you want to be part of Klal Yisroel, you have to connect to your own self. You need the Anochi to be part of the Klal. We are a nation of individuals who come together to notice each other's individuality and thus raise ourselves up to receive the birkas Hashem.
May the struggles of this past year propel you to greater heights next year.