CBI Blogs

September 26, 2024/23 Elul 5784
Rabbi Brad Levenberg

The slow trickle of time has the potential to turn streams into lakes. Consider the story of Mr. Brown, a widower in metro Atlanta, Georgia. He had a dream of a large pond in a recessed part of his property. Tragically, he died before his dream could be realized. The company he hired to design the project was negligent, leaving a hose running as they stepped away from the job. The Brown descendants, grieving their loss, left the property to rest, and the once beautiful landscaping became overgrown. When finally, after 12 years, they had an appraiser inspect the acreage, they found that, due to the hose, rainfall, and a topographical anomaly, the “large pond” had turned into a healthy lake deep and wide enough for paddle boating and fishing. 

So it is with the minor rifts that tether us to our upset. Left unchecked, and with the passage of time, such tiny trickles can turn into large lakes or moats. Small breaches in relationships transform into fissures when unresolved. But what a gift we are given with these months of Elul! They offer us a unique opportunity to heal those rifts that we can, to address the hurts that, even if lingering for years, have turned into lakes when they have always been streams. 

May we embrace the gift of this time to take the action needed to let go of what we can and, even more bravely, to heal that which we have the power to heal.