We are told that there are two books in heaven - The Book of Life and The Book of Death. On Rosh Hashanah, the completely righteous are written into the Book of Life, and the completely wicked are written into the Book of Death. Most of us, though, are neither, and are instead, "in between" or "average" Jews. We can fall either way. Our final judgement isn't sealed until Yom Kippur. During the Ten Days of Repentance (Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), we can sway our fate by acting properly, re-evaluating our deeds, and deciding to do better this coming year.
Are you familiar with the children's game, "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes"? This is a similar game, though more serious in nature. While most of us admit that we need to improve (Those of you our three that think you're already prefect, I assure you - You're not!), it's difficult for us to decide where to start. Or for that matter what exactly to do in order to change.
Here is a set of questions to ask yourself. These questions can be asked at the dinner table of Rosh Hashanah night or on the Sabbath dinner that falls in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The questions are not meant to point fingers, ("Oh, you always do that!") or cause one to feel overwhelmed ("I'll never improve!"). The questions are two-fold: 1. That we realize how much we need to pray to Hashem to forgive us, and 2. That we'll have a starting point and understanding of what needs to be improved upon.
- Head - Do you spend your time wishing you had a car "like your neighbors"? Or thinking how wonderful it would be if you could just have a house as big as your friend? Do you say things like, "Why can't you be like so-and-so?" This is what coveting means.
On the other hand, do you spend your time thinking about the Torah? Or planing your learning time and then carrying out your plans? Do you say things like, "I just learned something I never knew before, let me share it with you..." This is learning Torah. (If you're busy learning, you won't have time to think about your neighbor's new car or big house!)
- Eyes - Do you avert your eyes, instead of staring, at "unclean" or "improper" people or things? Do you look for faults to point out? ("Look at the typos in this article!" wink) Do you say things like, "Do you know what I saw So and So do yesterday?!"
