Throughout your life, you are writing your autobiography through all that you do. You are in the middle of writing the story of your present and future life. Your current self-image tells the story about yourself until now. Since you are still in the middle of this life story, at any given moment you can speak and act in ways that elevate the story of your life and make it more meaningful. You can choose to do much more good than ever before, become more spiritual, gain wisdom, be kinder, influence others, and refine your character traits. The positive things that you can do now revise the entire picture of your life.
Each minute, hour, day, week, month, and year, you write new sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters. The positive choices you make, what you think, say, and do, add self-image-building content to your entire life. Every entry in your autobiography adds to the entire picture. Many entries make just minor additions. At times, an important entry can change the entire picture of where you are now and what direction you are headed.
Each minute, hour, day, week, month, and year, you write new sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters. The positive choices you make, what you think, say, and do, add self-image-building content to your entire life. Every entry in your autobiography adds to the entire picture. Many entries make just minor additions. At times, an important entry can change the entire picture of where you are now and what direction you are headed.
(From Rabbi Zelig Pliskin's book: "Building Your Self- image and the Self-image of Others" (Artscroll) Chapter 8)
5 Tishrei
He forgives the sins of His people, and passes them over, one by one ... (Selichos).
The Talmud states that if a person repeats a particular sin, he may be forgiven up to the third time, but not beyond that (Yoma 86b).
Before Yom Kippur, a chassid came to the chassidic master, Rabbi Bunim of Pshis'cha. The master reprimanded him for being remiss in the proper observance of a mitzvah and the man promised that he would be more diligent - but the following year, the same scene was repeated.
When the chassid again asserted that he would mend his ways, the Rabbi invited him to a game of chess. During the game, the Rabbi intentionally made a wrong move and asked permission to be permitted to retract the move. "You know the rule, Rabbi," the chassidsaid, "once you have removed your hand from the piece, the move is final." Nevertheless, he gave in. Later in the match the same thing happened, and the man said, "I am sorry, Rabbi, but you cannot keep on retracting moves. You must think before you move; once you have done so, it is final."
"Exactly, my son," the Rabbi said, "and if this is so a game, how much more so in the serious business of life."
Just as there cannot be endless retractions in chess, so we must realize that some actions are final. Repeating the same sin after one knows it was wrong indicates an attitude of carelessness.
Before Yom Kippur, a chassid came to the chassidic master, Rabbi Bunim of Pshis'cha. The master reprimanded him for being remiss in the proper observance of a mitzvah and the man promised that he would be more diligent - but the following year, the same scene was repeated.
When the chassid again asserted that he would mend his ways, the Rabbi invited him to a game of chess. During the game, the Rabbi intentionally made a wrong move and asked permission to be permitted to retract the move. "You know the rule, Rabbi," the chassidsaid, "once you have removed your hand from the piece, the move is final." Nevertheless, he gave in. Later in the match the same thing happened, and the man said, "I am sorry, Rabbi, but you cannot keep on retracting moves. You must think before you move; once you have done so, it is final."
"Exactly, my son," the Rabbi said, "and if this is so a game, how much more so in the serious business of life."
Just as there cannot be endless retractions in chess, so we must realize that some actions are final. Repeating the same sin after one knows it was wrong indicates an attitude of carelessness.
Today I shall ...
... try to give serious consideration to my behavior and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.
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