Alleyways To Torah

Everyone was in shul on Yom Kippur. Well almost everyone. I always expect that after Yom Kippur the world will look different. People will all be more friendly, kind and caring. All of the men will be wearing yarmulkes and tzitzis and all of the woman will be dressed modestly. The courts will receive many notices that couples who were getting divorced have forgiven each other and no longer need the courts services. Once again peace will reign in the home! Torah classes will be filled to capacity. Mincha and maariv services will be packed - even during the week! The Jewish world will undergo a veritable face-lift. It will be unrecognizable. The power of Yom Kippur.

But the reality is downright disappointing. Everything looks EXACTLY THE SAME! People who weren't friendly before Yom Kippur remain that way. A person who watched an inappropriate movie [i.e. a movie with foul language or featuring woman in immodest dress - in other words every movie] on the flight to Israel also watches one on the flight back. Mincha and maariv in many shuls are reserved for people saying kaddish. In a word - no change. The world does not look better today than it did 20 years ago even though we have gone through 20 Yom Kippurs since then. I am not going out on a limb if I say that it looks ...... a lot worse.

I am at a loss as to what to do.

Then the solution came to me! I have the power to change nobody - but myself.

You too! You can change yourself!! Then YOU will also notice that as you change the world will also look different.

Ya know - the change in perspective thing. It is all about perception. If you have a G-dly perspective with an ayin tova the world will look beautiful.

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