A new year is upon us. One year chases another, one decade follows the next. Our lives unfold, our circumstances evolve, but how about us? Do we grow as well or are we stinted in our spiritual and emotional growth?
It is a probing question and one we ought to ask of no one, but ourselves. As the old year rolls to a close and a New Year opens up we ask ourselves how to move forward. What are the concrete steps that take us from childhood to maturity?
When we were younger we all had toys. Most of us had favorite toys and our entire world revolved around them. When we had them in hand we were content, but if anyone took them from us, we grew miserable and did our best to make everyone around us miserable too.
In his new book, Mission Possible: Living With Higher Purpose, Rabbi Lazer Gurkow points out that most of us don’t know what became of that favorite teddy bear or blankie that we loved as a child. If someone asked us what happened to our red toy fire-truck or beautiful little doll, we likely wouldn’t know. But somehow we also wouldn’t care. We have moved on and are no longer consumed with the things that worried us in our youth.
We have moved on, but have we matured? The definition of maturity is to be other focused rather than self-focused. Have we matured? Today, more than ever, grown men and women take pride in their little gadgets and toys. We no longer worry about little dolls and fire trucks, but we have our Androids and I-pods with their favorite little apps. Should we lose them, we grow miserable. Should Facebook go down for several hours as it did on August 2’nd, social media would be abuzz, as it was that day, with contempt for Facebook.
Can we live without our toys or are we mired in the immaturity of our youth?
[HIGH HOLY DAYS | Rabbi Abba Perelmuter ]
My New Year Greeting
Rabbi Abba Perelmuter