Preparing for the End

Preparing for the End

In Parashat Vayeilech, Moshe Rabbeinu is at the very end of his life.                                          He is exactly 120 years old, and he tells the people, 

“I can no longer come and go.” 

He knows he won’t enter the Land of Israel.                                                               He knows his time is short; that this is the day he will die. 

On this last day of his life Moses doesn’t focus on himself.                                                                    He prepares.                                                                                 He goes to each tribe of the Jewish people, and he blesses them:          “Chizku v’imtzu— be strong and courageous

    He strengthens Joshua, his successor, with courage and confidence.                             He makes sure that the people are ready to move forward without him.

Moshe teaches us how to approach the end of life—with dignity, humility, acceptance and preparation.                                                                                                                                        

We also have a rich Jewish tradition of helping each other

on our journey beyond this world.                                                 

We make sure everyone is honored, cared for, and ready to return to God in purity.

Thinking about our mortality reminds us to do teshuvah (to return to the pure essence of who we are), to use our days well, and to live with gratitude.

This message feels especially powerful now, as we approach Yom Kippur.            The holiest day of the year reminds us that life is not something we are entitled to or should take for granted.                                                           We wear white, refrain from eating and drinking and we strip away the externals.                

Our custom to wear white on Yom Kippur, like the clothes we will one day be buried in, is meant to be life-affirming in the face of our mortality and

to help us focus on using our lives well.       

                                                                                                                      Yom Kippur reminds us that life is fragile and precious, and

that what we do matters.

Moshe’s last message is just that;

our lives are not endless and are a gift to be used well.                                                      

Our task is to live with courage, to live with passion

such that we leave behind blessings and inspiration for others.

May we learn from Moshe to help others leave this world with dignity, and

to live in an intimate relationship with our transcendent yet also imminent God.                             May this Yom Kippur open our hearts to teshuva;

to return to the pure essence of who we are

so we can live with a deep connection with the Source of all Life.

Much love and may we all be sealed for good in the coming year