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Life doesn’t always go according to plan. We all face periods of disappointment, uncertainty, and pain. We naturally hope that things will get better, but Judaism asks us to stay engaged with the present.
In this week’s Torah portion, Moses describes the blessings that would come from following G‑d’s commandments. He then describes the consequences that could follow when the Jewish people turned away from them. Our choices matter, even when we can’t control everything around us.
The Talmud tells us about two great sages, Rabbi Akiva and Nachum Ish-Gamzu. Nachum was famous for saying, “Gam zu letovah,” this too is for the best. He looked at every situation and saw the good within it.
Rabbi Akiva had a different attitude. He didn’t pretend that bad situations were good. He recognized that life could be painful and frightening. Still, he trusted that G‑d could bring something good from difficult circumstances.
That gives us a different kind of optimism. We don’t have to pretend that everything is fine. We can recognize that something is difficult and still choose to do something good with the situation.
We can’t always choose what happens to us, but we can choose what kind of person we’ll be in response. A difficult day doesn’t excuse us from doing what’s right.
The good doesn’t always appear on its own. Sometimes we create it through the choices we make.
Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner. It’s a time to look honestly at the choices we’ve made and think about the person we want to be in the coming year. We don’t need to wait for a perfect moment to change. One good choice today can be the beginning of a better year.
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