{"id":1174,"date":"2014-10-02T10:56:51","date_gmt":"2014-10-02T10:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/18.191.22.100\/?p=1174"},"modified":"2014-10-02T10:56:51","modified_gmt":"2014-10-02T10:56:51","slug":"failure-the-secret-to-success-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fargate.dev.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/failure-the-secret-to-success-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Failure: The Secret to Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Yom Kippur we say\u00a0Viduy<\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0Al Cheit<\/i>\u00a0multiple times, again and again admitting to our failures, our misdeeds, how we slipped up in the past year. We confess our wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness. In fact, this is the theme of Yom Kippur; it is “The Day of Atonement.” \u00a0We hopefully spent\u00a0Y’mei Elul\u00a0<\/i>and the\u00a0Aseres Y’mei Teshuva<\/i>\u00a0doing\u00a0teshuva\u00a0<\/i>(repentance), trying to prioritize and working on our relationship with Hashem and our\u00a0Yiddishkeit\u00a0<\/i>(Judaism). On Rosh Hashana we were\u00a0mamlich<\/i>\u00a0Hashem as\u00a0melech<\/i>(proclaimed G-d as King), and on Yom Kippur, we stand before Him armed with our\u00a0teshuva\u00a0<\/i>(repentance), tefillah\u00a0<\/i>(prayer),\u00a0<\/i>andtzedaka\u00a0<\/i>(charity)\u00a0without any physical distractions doing everything we can to procure a positive\u00a0din\u00a0<\/i>(judgement).<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

In general we struggle with our\u00a0bechira\u00a0<\/i>(free will). It’s not easy to only do\u00a0mitzvos\u00a0<\/i>(positive commandments), to be completely focused on\u00a0avodas Hashem\u00a0<\/i>(work of G-d).\u00a0<\/i>Our\u00a0guf<\/i>\u00a0(body) vies for attention, attracted by various inclinations. Sometimes we slip up. We make mistakes, lose focus. To err is to be human; it’s impossible for us to never do\u00a0aveiros\u00a0<\/i>(wrongdoings), never give into our\u00a0yetzer hara\u00a0<\/i>(evil inclination).\u00a0<\/i>To say the least, it’s discouraging to fall so many times. And, when we make mistakes, it’s easy for us to let our failures define us. Sometimes it’s an excuse for us to just continue down that path. Other times it’s the guilt that eats us up, and we’re too paralyzed to overcome the new obstacle we now created between us and Hashem.\u00a0And yet\u00a0Chazal\u00a0<\/i>(our sages)\u00a0tell us, “Sheva yepol tzaddik v’kam,” “<\/i>The righteous fall seven times…and get up.”\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Our nation itself, “Yehudim,<\/i>” (literally, ‘Jews’) are named as such after Yehuda, the person in\u00a0Tanach\u00a0<\/i>who was\u00a0choteh<\/i>\u00a0(sinned), admitted his failure, but achieved greatness\u00a0through his repentance. Sin creates a hindrance between us and Hashem, a lack in the transgressor in terms of his relationship with G-d. Rabbi Jeremy Kagan, in his book\u00a0The Choice to Be,<\/i>\u00a0elucidates that the word “cheit”<\/i>\u00a0means ‘lack.’ (He brings the following\u00a0pasuk\u00a0<\/i>(verse)\u00a0<\/i>from\u00a0Bereishis<\/i>\u00a0(Genesis) 32:39 as proof: “Yaakov said to Lavan, ‘I never brought you a\u00a0treif<\/i>\u00a0animal,\u00a0anochi achateinu<\/i>, I bore the loss…”)\u00a0Kapparah\u00a0<\/i>(atonement),\u00a0<\/i>as in the root of the name Yom\u00a0Kippur<\/i>, is explained by the Gur Aryeh (Bamidbar<\/i>\u00a028:15)\u00a0to mean “cleansing” or “removal.” Atonement is not merely about making up with an offended G-d\u00a0kivyachol\u00a0<\/i>(so to speak).<\/i>\u00a0Kapparah<\/i>\u00a0is about removing a lack that an\u00a0aveira<\/i>\u00a0(wrongdoing) created.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We may view judgement as a process of determining what we owe for our actions. In that view, says Rabbi Kagan, punishment is merely a deterrent from committing a misdeed. It places a barrier between the person and the wrongdoing, but it does not remove the initial desire to commit the sin. Divine judgement, however, is not punitive.\u00a0“Onesh”\u00a0<\/i>(punishment) has the root of “nash,<\/i>” “to fall away.” Punishment is the process by which impurities we’ve introduced into ourselves that interfere with our relationship with Hashem fall away. Judgement can bring short-term anxiety or pain, but delivers long-term joy. It initiates a process which leads to change that stretches beyond repairing the damage the sin created. As such, repentance helps one to achieve a relationship with the Creator on a different plane than the one the transgression occurred. He cannot “reenter” his connection to G-d through the same place\u00a0as before. He will forever relate to Hashem differently, because he is a different person. Our actions change us. Yet, he can use his sin as a stepping stone, stand on top of the hurdle, to ascend to a higher facet of his character to rise above or contain the inclination. Thus, failing, sinning, judgement, punishment, is an engine for growth. Sometimes we have to fall so we can rise.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Before Rosh Hashana,\u00a0I was discussing with someone how they let\u00a0certain\u00a0\u00a0aspects of their\u00a0Yiddishkeit<\/i>\u00a0slip this year\u00a0and how they felt like their relationship with Hashem was blocked. Things that should have just didn’t matter, and they felt very disconnected in general.\u00a0Only when they took stock and took steps to change this were they able to reconnect to Hashem and their\u00a0Yiddishkeit<\/i>. All of a sudden they felt close to Hashem again. Their connection was not the same, but a little bit stronger, different than before. They realized something different about themself, about Hashem and their connection to Him.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Rabbi Kagan speaks about how\u00a0Klal Yisroel<\/i>\u00a0(the Jewish nation) has much in common with the moon. We follow the lunar calendar, and we celebrate\u00a0Rosh Chodesh<\/i>\u00a0each month when the moon renews itself. Like the moon waxes and wanes, reflecting more or less light from the sun, so too\u00a0Yidden\u00a0<\/i>(Jews) reflect more or less of Hashem’s light, i.e. emulate Him and bring His\u00a0kavod<\/i>\u00a0(honor) into the physical world. No matter what though, it is always a cycle, like the moon. One may emulate Hashem, do his\u00a0mitzvos,\u00a0<\/i>to a lesser degree at one stage in time, but at another point he will shine like a full moon, completely reflecting Hashem’s\u00a0ratzon<\/i>\u00a0(will).
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

We aren’t perfect, but we’re\u00a0Yehudim;\u00a0<\/i>we fall, we repent, and we rise. “Ki nafalti kamti.<\/i>” “Because I fell, I rose up.” Failure is not a cause for despair, it’s par for the course. It makes us a little bit stronger.\u00a0Chattaim\u00a0<\/i>(sins) distance us from Hashem, but Yom Kippur, The Day of Atonement, cleanses us, removes the lack, helps us use our sins as steps to make us taller, closer to our goal:\u00a0dveikus b’Hashem<\/i>\u00a0(closeness with G-d).<\/span><\/p>\n

Rivky Rochkind – reprinted with permission<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Yom Kippur we say\u00a0Viduy\u00a0and\u00a0Al Cheit\u00a0multiple times, again and again admitting to our failures, our misdeeds, how we slipped up in the past year. We confess our wrongdoings and ask […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1175,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[249,21],"yoast_head":"\nFailure: The Secret to Success - Jewish Resources<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fargate.dev.torahmates.org\/jewish-resources\/failure-the-secret-to-success-2\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Failure: The Secret to Success - Jewish Resources\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On Yom Kippur we say\u00a0Viduy\u00a0and\u00a0Al Cheit\u00a0multiple times, again and again admitting to our failures, our misdeeds, how we slipped up in the past year. 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