Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way
By Avi West

As we transition into the High Holiday season, I am reminded of the perfect storm. No, not the ones with 70 mile an hour winds, sideways rain and power outages. I refer to the convergence of a single theme from a number of sources.

The weekly Torah portions at this time of year come from the fifth and final book of the Torah, Deuteronomy. We find the Israelites getting prepared to transition from wandering in the desert to entering and settling in the land of Canaan. Those who followed their journey from Egypt remember their moral lapses and breaches of covenantal behavior. Deuteronomy contains magnificent literary speeches given by Moses. In these poem/sermon/love song sections, he becomes in turn guide, prophet, teacher, parent and psychologist. With both physical and spiritual survival at stake, he can’t emphasize enough the message of staying on the straight and narrow as he prepares to transition out of leadership.

These ideas fit well with the second element in the perfect storm, the school calendar. September/Tishrei signals the beginning of the academic year and the transition out of the more relaxed days of summer. Formal schooling begins again, and new informal learning opportunities are again advertised. Every child can increase his/her knowledge while also gaining skills for the future in schools, clubs, youth groups and congregations. Adults can sharpen skills for current positions, acquire knowledge to transition into second careers, and grow in spirituality through encounters with sacred texts and ritual experiences.

The High Holiday liturgy also deals with a notion of transitions. Celebrating the birthday of the world has us transitioning from 5770 to 5771 and brings with it a commemoration of all the potential built into creation. It behooves us to remember the Divine expectations of humans as stewards of creation and as images of God, and to see how we measure up as we transition into the next year. As with all holidays, we hope that the liturgy inspires and motivates us to talk as we gather around the dinner table. Each generation should share their experiences of the past and maybe even their expectations as to how things can improve in the future.

Let’s again look at Moses reaching out to the next generation of Israelites. Scholars have categorized his orations as a form of ethical will. Rabbi Jack Riemer, in his wonderful collection of Jewish ethical wills through history (“So That Your Values Live On- Ethical Wills and how to Prepare Them,” Jewish Lights publishing), observes that Jews traditionally “cherished the desire to bequeath to their descendants an instructive account of the ideals and the middot (traits, measure of refinement) closest to their hearts… not philosophical treatises, but personal reflections on their lives as Jews and the motivating values and events of their life’s experience.”

Riemer presents an easy-to-follow outline for creating one’s own ethical will. He suggests a number of topics and starting phrases, such as “This is my definition of true success,” or “These are the people in our family and these are the causes for which I have and would like you to feel a sense of responsibility,” and “I would like to ask your forgiveness for… and I forgive you for…”

Explore what you mean by being a Mentch, who has been an example of mentchlechkeit, and how you can help each other achieve that goal. Talk about your parents to your children—without whitewashing the typical stress and anxieties of all relationships. Create a new family ritual of reading/revising your ethical will on holiday cycles. It just may help strengthen your legacy to weather any storms. Practice articulating desired positive behaviors and share them on http://www.pjll.org/content/partnership-invitational-community-makeover-high-holiday-edition