This week in Parasha Nitzavim-Vayelech, everyone of us is standing tall in anticipation of renewing the covenant with G-d and the Jewish people—women, men, kids, water carriers, wood choppers and leaders. Even the babies not yet born are part of this moment of re-entry as a people.

You are standing today, all of you before the Eternal, your G-d; the heads of your tribes, your elders, and your officers—the men of Israel, the small children, the women and even the stranger within your camp, from the hewer of wood to the drawer of water, for you to enter into the covenant of the Eternal, your G-d, which the Lord your G-d is concluding with you this day, in order that G-d may establish you this day as G-d's people as was promised to you and sworn to your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I make this covenant not with you alone, but both with those who are standing here with us this day before the Eternal our G-d and with those who are not with us here this day.

~~Deuteronomy 29: 9–12

Can we imagine standing with clean heart, and clean spirit, hearing the voice of Moses convey the sanctity of G-d? As we approach the upcoming New Year, all of us stand before G-d with our deeds engraving the path where our feet are planted. The Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe, confront us with the places we wished we had already cleaned up from years past. We recognize areas of improvement, and we see the old potholes that continue to trip us up again and again, the triggers that cause us to react in ways beneath our ideals. Thinking of ways we have not changed so much slumps our shoulders and lowers our gaze. With all our transgressions, how can we stand tall, exuberantly before G-d?

The rabbis teach that T'shuva can be visualized as making a U-turn. Our sincere effort to see our mistakes, take responsibility, apologize, and make a plan to avoid the same blunder is the turnaround and is always received with love. The key is not to affix blame on others, but to turn to ourselves and clean up the messes we have made.

The story is told of the mother who called upon the rabbi, complaining about her son, of all things, because he ate too much sugar. Her son's body was affected by sugar; his attention was affected by sugar—not to mention his teeth. The rabbi listened and told the woman that he could not see her or her child for two weeks. Feeling rebuffed, the woman could barely utter a decent goodbye, yet she still marked her calendar for the upcoming appointment.

Two weeks passed and the mother and her son sat in the rabbi's study. The rabbi spoke gently and clearly with the child, making inroads that the mother could scarcely believe. "Why,” she exclaimed, "if you are so good at helping my child, why wouldn't you see him when I first called?”

"Ah,” said the rabbi, "you told me he had a problem eating too much sugar. Before I could possibly help him, I had to understand his battle personally. First, I had to give up eating all sugar.”

It is much easier to point blame at others and point out where their actions trouble us and how wrong they are. Yet it is only by taking a good look at our own behavior and contemplating how the other feels that there can be any honest change affecting our posture and stance in life.

L'shana Tova Tikateivu. May you be inscribed in the Book of Life for a healthy, happy, and peaceful New Year.

Rabbis Nancy and David