Shared with the membership of the chavurah I serve -

I should have, I could have, I would have.....
If only I had married, if only I had not.
If only I’d had children, if only I had not.
If only I had waited, if only I had acted.
If only I had stayed, if only I had left.
If only I had bought, if only I had sold.
If only I had become, if only I had not.

The list is endless. But we need to understand that it is impossible to look into the past to predict a future that never was. For once a stone is thrown into the lake, we do not control the ripples.

We can not ignore the past and its consequences lest we fail, as this season reminds us, in the daily task we each face of tikkun ha-nefesh, repair of the soul, and our obligation to try to bring ourselves right with our G-d, our neighbors and with ourselves. However, the past is written, it cannot be called back. To try to step back into the past and dwell upon and imagine our lives as they might have been is not to learn from the past. It is to be trapped in it. It is to lose the opportunities of now by bemoaning the lost opportunities of then.

The message of this season is that we are ever writing in our own individual books of life. Every moment of our lives is an opportunity to live authentically, to be true to ourselves and to write for the good in our book of life. The message of this season is that we hold the power to shape our lives for the good. It is up to each of us to make our lives a blessing.

שנה טובה

Thank you Rabbio! Yes, no regrets as we have come this far. But let our pasts be a learning and teaching tool to others that they will not repeat the worst events of human history. I especially like your request for us to write in our books every day how we might best serve our Creator and our fellow beings all around the world.....May God continue to bless you....To`na Wanagi

where did your idea for this thread come from? weird...

And what exactly do you find, in your word, weird about the message? The message is a reflection on themes inherent in Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, the Jewish High Holy Days.

B'shalom,

Peter

Dear Peter;
Check out his signature line. It's obvious from that where he is in his own mind. His other posts have not shown much more promise than what he has observed about himself. He has been his own judge. Again, thank you for your post....Peace and Love.....To`na Wanagi

To'na,

Your wish for peace, your sharing of love is, as always, gratefully accepted and returned in kind.

B'shalom,

Peter