It being the Ten Days, I'm a little more stressed out then usual, especially when contemplating how few items there probably are marked under the "Merits" column for my name up in Shemayim. This Rosh Hashana, I heard numerous stories told over about what is happening up in the heavens, and most stories reference malachim of various types. These stories reminded me of something that I figured might be fitting to share this time of year.
A few years ago, while living in the South, a Rav suggested that I review the laws of Taharat HaMispacha with his wife- my then-husband and I had been married over a year and were childless, and that suggestion seems to be par for the course under such circumstances. So, of I went to study with her, and during our session I commented that I often wished that I was a malach, because then I would just do Hashem's will perfectly. Her response was that my purpose in the world was to accrue mitzvos, which is why I was created human. I found that comment really inspiring...
To sum it up then, since I'm not an angel, my challenge is to overcome my personal spiritual challenges in order to more readily and appropriately serve Hashem. I figure that in the coming days, I should focus on determining where my spiritual weaknesses. Once those are identified, I can then go about finding the practical strategies that will help me overcome those weaknesses. The end result will hopefully be that I can perform my "hard" mitzvos (and we all find some mitzvos harder than others to fulfill) better. So the possibilities are endless, if one chooses to devote some time and a whole lot of effort to that most humbling of tasks called self-perception.
May we all merit to have a most productive 10 days, and be sealed for a wonderful year!
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