Our Thoughts
All mankind will pass before you like a flock of sheep (Unetanneh Tokef)
Mark Bezos (who has a viral TED talk online) was a volunteer firefighter for a local fire brigade. In his hometown, as a volunteer, he had to arrive as fast as possible to stand any chance of being involved in the action, as the professional firefighters were always first on the scene.
Mark recalled the first time he arrived as a volunteer to the scene of a fire. He was the second volunteer to arrive and found the captain deep in conversation with the homeowner who was, understandably, having one of the worst days of her life.
She was standing outside in the pouring rain under an umbrella in her pyjamas, bare foot while her house was on fire.
The other volunteer firefighter who had arrived ahead of him was commanded by the captain to run into the burning building in order to save the homeowner’s dog.
Mark recounted that he felt tremendous jealousy that his volunteer colleague had been entrusted with saving the life of the precious pet of the owner.
Soon though, he was also called to action, and Mark ran forward eagerly. The captain instructed him “Bezos I need you to go into the burning house, I need you to go upstairs, to go past the fire and I need you to get for this woman a pair of shoes”.
Bezos recalls, at the time he was bitterly disappointed at only being instructed to find a pair of shoes. “Was that it?!” He thought.
Nonetheless Bezos headed into the house, passing his volunteer colleague who was emerging triumphantly with the dog, up the stairs past the professional firefighters who had almost completed putting out the fire. He entered the master bedroom to find a pair of shoes. He took the shoes over to the homeowner who was hugging the saved dog, she thanked him, and he shrugged his shoulders and trudged off thinking nothing more of it.
A few weeks later the fire department received a letter from the homeowner thanking them profusely for their valiant efforts and bravery in saving her home. The act of kindness, she noted above all others at the time of her distress, was the fact that someone had even got her a pair of shoes!
One of the most moving pieces of the High Holyday liturgy is Unetaneh Tokef, which describes how we all pass before God “kivnei maron” – just like a shepherd examines his flock individually as they pass beneath his staff, so too G-d judges each and every living soul.
The Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 18b) offers three different analogies for “kivnei maron”: (1) like sheep passing before their shepherd; (2) like those who ascend a steep mountain pass climbing single file; and (3) like the troops of the house of David.
All three explanations refer to our experience as individuals, as we reflect on our lives on Rosh Hashanah. There may be a part of us that feels rather lost and helpless (comparable with the vulnerable sheep). At the same time we may identify as determined, spiritual, mountaineers, willing to overcome and ascend the challenges we face. Finally, we may also feel in a sense that we are soldier-like, feeling confident that we have been entrusted with our own unique vital mission that only we can achieve.
We are left with mixed emotions – a sense of helplessness at our frailties on the one hand, but at the same time a sense of confidence and optimism at the sense of purpose we have gained for the year to come.
Rav Moshe Shapira taught that these inspirational words stress the necessity of self-definition rather than being defined in terms of anyone else.
On Rosh Hashana, we are all scrutinised as individuals – it is crucial that we consider our own unique potential and the contribution we are all capable of making.
Yet at the same time, he warns of the need for us to strike a balance. After all, if my focus on Rosh Hashana is exclusively by myself as an individual alone before G-d, that is to be myopically egotistic.
The three analogies in the Piyut are all in depicted in a broader social context. Often, it is precisely in a societal context that we find our true selves and individual worth. Be it through charity work, communal volunteering, or mentoring, we all have something to offer. Being selfless turns us into soulful people.
Not every day is going to offer us the chance to save a life, but every day offers us the opportunity to affect one – it starts today (right now) with something as small as saving a pair of shoes.