As we find ourselves at this special time, the 10 Days of Teshuvah, between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a time when we look back and reflect on the previous year, and we look forward to the new year, making resolutions to improve our relationship with ourselves, our relationship with others and with Hashem, I would like to share four inspirations.

Inspiration # 1: Be like the Stars in Heaven and the Sand of the Sea

On Rosh Hashanah, Hashem remembered and heard the prayers of the first Jewish people, the childless couple after many decades of marriage, Avraham and Sara. On Rosh Hashanah, we read about the birth of Isaac, the first Jewish child ever to be born.

We focus on the blessing and message Hashem himself gave to that very first Jewish family, Avraham and Sara. At the binding of Isaac that we read on Rosh Hashanah:

“….Arbeh et Zar’acha K’chochvei Ha’Shamaym U’Kichol asher al sefat Ha’yam…” (Beraishit / Genesis 22:17)

“….I will multiply your children like the stars of the heaven and the sand of the seashore….”

It’s challenging to understand. There are so many more stars in heaven than grains of sand, that astronomers estimate that for every grain of sand on our planet, there are approximately 10,000 stars or more. So once the blessings say he should be like the stars of heaven, it’s a bit redundant and anticlimactic to say that we should be like the sand of the seashore.

One way of understanding, is that Hashem was actually providing Avraham and Sara with the secret formula for them and their offspring to survive and thrive. To do so, we need to cultivate two qualities – qualities that may on the surface seem paradoxical, but on a deeper level, they actually converge to make Jewish life and human life into a success story.

The first value is the sand of the sea. One grain of sand is worthless and insignificant, however together, they make an exquisite beach. The power of sand is the power of cohesion, the power of community, friendship, family and belonging. That’s the power of the sand of the sea.

The second value is that of a star. Stars are so different. Each star casts its own unique light. When stars get too close to each other or collide, they get sucked into a vortex or they explode and they destroy each other.

Hashem gave Avraham timeless advice. Cherish the power of family and of community. What we can accomplish together infinitely exceeds what we can accomplish alone.

As the great sage Hillel famously said, ‘If I am only for myself, then what am I?’

The power of our people has always been the strength of our family, our community, our relationships and our marriages.

The second timeless advice on the other hand, Judaism accentuates the power of the individual. We each have a unique light to contribute to the world. We are each an indispensable note in Hashem’s cosmic symphony. Our unique light, soul, personality, ideas and contributions, are uniquely ours.

Much of life is a balance between the cohesion and belonging of sand and being a bright individual.

Inspiration # 2: Challenge makes us priceless

What is the most famous painting in the world? I would assume most people would say the Mona Lisa in the Louvre in Paris. There are more than 10 million visitors that come each year to see her.

Why is she so famous? Is it because of her legendary artist Leonardo da Vinci who painted her in the early 16th century? Is it because of her mysterious identity? Who is she? No one seems to know.

Or is it because of her enigmatic smile? And when you look at her, you aren’t quite sure if she likes you or dislikes you?

They’re probably all true. The real credit for her fame goes to an Italian handyman, Vincencio Peruggia, who in 1911, stole the Mona Lisa from the Louve, and it took the police over two years to apprehend him and find the painting, and return it to its place. The strangest thing occurred during the course of those two years. More people came to see the bare orphaned wall, the empty display where the painting was, than in all the decades she was there before.

The Mona Lisa was always popular, but once she was stolen, she became so much more popular.

In the fulfilment of the immortal words of Yehonatan (Jonathan) to his best friend (future King) David, when he was on the run from Yehonatan’s very own father, King Saul, ‘Your absence will be noticed’. Or in the modern vernacular, ‘Absence makes the heart grow fonder’.

In a strange way, the best thing that could have happened to the Mona Lisa was that she was stolen and thereby became priceless.

Sometimes life throws us curveballs. We may feel stolen, dejected, or broken. We may feel like life is simply unfair. At these moments when we feel challenged, when we feel distant, disenfranchised; when we ask ourselves, who am I? What am I? At these moments, that is when we can discover our innate intrinsic Divine potential, our deepest qualities, our pricelessness.

Whenever I am interviewing someone to be a people leader, I often look to hire someone who has proverbially ‘been to Hell and back’. Someone who has overcome extreme challenges and setbacks and who has come out the other side a more profound and empathic human. They are the best, most reliable leaders.

The famed leader of the world stage Winston Churchill used to say that his definition of success was, ‘Jumping from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm’.

Judaism takes it a step further. Seize every failure and use it as an opportunity, a vista, to become the person you are supposed to become.

Inspiration # 3: The solution to Navigating our Uncertain World

We live in an unprecedented world filled with uncertainties. The uncertainties seem to be embedded in modern world; be it AI and where it will take us, or Google and its infinite possibilities. It’s such a confusing world of conflicting philosophies, multiple perspectives, and everyone maintains that they’re right, that they are the most progressive, and that they have found the best path for the future of humanity.

But we and our children have a simple gift, a simple solution to this chaos. All we need to do is walk in the path of our parents, our grandparents, our ancestors; the path of our traditions for over 4,000 years.

Where is ancient Assyria?

Where is the great Babylonian, Greek, Roman or Byzantine empires?

Where are the great empires that ruled the globe for centuries?

Where are they today?

The answer is – they are on Wikipedia. And we, the Jewish people, who have been persecuted and hunted down in every century – we created Wikipedia. Together with Google, and Facebook, and Instagram. We have a tradition that has kept us strong from the days of Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov, the days of Sara, Rivkah, Rachel and Laya, our forebearers. It has kept us strong since standing at Sinai 3,300 years ago.

Sometimes those pathways of tradition, those footsteps of our ancestors may seem archaic, outdated and more like ancient history than relevant for today. However, we must remember, we are still here with our vibrancy, creativity and success. When we walk in those footsteps, we are guaranteed continuity and strength, and we get to write the next chapter of the Jewish story – Am Yisrael Chai!

Inspiration # 4: Our Moment of Success

There is only one person the Torah ever describes as successful. A success story. And no, it wasn’t Abraham or Moshe, even though I think they were very successful. It was actually Joseph.

The Torah describes Yosef/Joseph as ‘Ish Matzliach’ – a successful person.

Why was Joseph, out of everyone in our history, deemed a success story?

There was one moment in his life that defined him as successful. Joseph suffered sibling rivalry at its worst; after he was sold by his very own brothers into slavery; falsely accused of heinous crimes and languished in prison for most of his short life.  Twenty-two years later he confronted the very brothers who sold him and he told them immortal words: ‘I am not depressed! Neither should you be depressed! Because you did not sell me! God sent me!’

WOW!

That simple statement, that life-altering perspective, turned Joseph from a victim, into a master of his own destiny.

Yes, he experienced pain and extreme difficulties through the vicissitudes of life, but he never saw himself as someone who was just sold.

He never saw himself as a passive victim of other people’s horrible decisions or of circumstances. No, Joseph saw his entire life as a Shlichut – a Divine mission.

He saw himself as sent by the Master of the world. We have a choice to tell ourselves the same; ‘I arrive at every place at every stage of my life because I’ve been sent here, with a unique opportunity to bring light into that space and place, into the circumstances and challenges’. Try it, it is transformative.

Success means; at every crossroads of life, every decision we need to make, every challenge we face, every situation we encounter, every relationship we confront, we can remember, we were not sold; we were sent with the ability to fulfill our unique mission in this world.

A Bracha to the entire Moriah family, our Country and our People

As we enter each Yom Tov we say the blessing Shehechiyanu – we thank Hashem for bringing us to this point in our lives. We wish each other to stay connected like the sand of the sea, because we belong.

To bring our own unique and personal light into the world, like the stars of heaven; because the world is waiting for me to do so.

To have the courage and resilience to face adversity as a catalyst to find your deepest value, because we are priceless.

To have the conviction to walk in the 4,000-year legacy of our forebears, and for us and our children to become the next golden links in the chain of our heritage.

And may we have the clarity to see each moment in our life as a Divine mission to leave our mark.

Wishing you all G’mar Chatimah Tovah – May you be signed and sealed for goodness, blessings, health and success for you and the whole Moriah Family, our community and Nation. Be well over the fast and have a safe and enjoyable Sukkot holiday.

Chag Sameach.

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About the Author

Rabbi Yehoshua Smukler is the College Principal at Moriah College in Queens Park, NSW.