A Mentch Tracht un Gut Lacht - Man Plans and G-d Laughs
This past week, Fraida went with the kids to visit family. I stayed home and had made plans of what I will get done. After all, they say, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail"! Each day was busy filled with important work, from planning High Holidays to Hebrew School. However, some of the specific things I had hoped to accomplish did not get done (yet).
One evening, as I was discussing this with Fraida, I said it wasn't the day I planned but overall it was a good day. Fraida responded, the day G-d had planned for you. Good point! When things don't go according to your plan, recognize they are according to G-d’s plan.
This Shabbos, we will bless the month of Elul, the final month of the year. The month of inventory and stock taking.
Rosh Hashanah is on the horizon. Time to get prepared. We could deny the day is coming for only so long.
In the great Chasidic tradition, it is told that the wind of Teshuva (return) began to blow already on the Shabbos after Tisha B’Av.
Traditionally, this is a time of reflection on the past year. Did your plans work out? etc. For many, plans did not go as planned, with Coronavirus etc.
One reflection that I am going to work on is to be conscious that it is always a G-d’s day, whether things go according to my plan or not.
Rabbi Kushi Schusterman