|
The story is told of a young Chassid who was always in a hurry. Each morning, he ran out his front door with tallit and tefillin in hand, barely saying goodbye to his family. At shul he was the first one out, rushing to work with ledgers and keys. At night he ate quickly and went straight to bed, only to begin again.
One morning Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev stopped him and asked, “My child, why are you always running?” The young man answered brusquely: “Rebbe, I must earn my wages. I must make a living.” The rebbe placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly: “But my child, could it be that in your rush to make a living, you are losing your chance to make a life?”
At first, the rebbe’s words may feel harsh. The man was working hard to provide for his family. Isn’t that noble? Judaism, after all, values this world: earning money, enjoying food, caring for family — these are not obstacles to holiness, but part of serving God. So, what was Reb Levi Yitzchak really saying?
He was pointing to a deeper truth: that without purpose, all our running risks becoming meaningless. It recalls the scene in Alice in Wonderland when Alice asks the Cat which road to take. The Cat replies: “That depends on where you want to get to.” Alice says, “I don’t much care where,” and the Cat answers, “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.” If we are always rushing but never asking why, we risk losing not just direction, but life itself.
And that is exactly what Parshat Nitzavim tells us this Shabbat, the last before Rosh Hashanah: “I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life – if you and your offspring would live” (Devarim 30:19).
The Ramban explains: every day before us lie two paths. It is completely within our power to choose one or the other. Nothing from heaven or earth can block us. The choice is ours.
But what does it mean to “choose life”? After all, as Pirkei Avot says: “Against your will you are formed, against your will you are born, and against your will you live” (4:22). We don’t get to choose existence. What we do choose is how to live. Life is given. Living is earned.
And here is where it becomes real. Every day, in a hundred ways, we face choices between blessing and curse, between merely existing and truly living. For instance, when the alarm rings, do I stay under the blanket, or do I rise and begin with gratitude. When I open my mouth, do I speak the first sharp words that come, or do I pause and choose words that build rather than break? When I see someone in need, do I rush on with my errands like the young man in the story, or do I slow down long enough to notice, to listen, to help?
“Choose life” is not one dramatic decision. It is hundreds of small decisions, each one carving the shape of our souls.
Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel put it this way: “Shakespeare's Hamlet said, 'To be or not to be, that is the question.' That is no problem. We all want to be. The real problem, biblically speaking is how to be and how not to be – that is our challenge.” Animals exist. Humans are called to live with transcendence — to turn existence into essence, to rise above instinct and live with wonder, purpose, and amazement.
That is why “choosing life” is not about adding years to our lives but adding life to our years. It is about slowing down enough to cherish the people around us, to thank God for creation, to live with intention. If we are always rushing from one task to the next, like the young man in the story, we may make a living, but we will fail to make a life.
And so, this Shabbat, as we prepare to embrace Rosh HaShanah, let us imagine ourselves as if we are standing at a crossroads. Both paths lead to the future — but only one leads to life. Let us choose that path. Let us resolve not just to exist but to live with kavannah, with gratitude, with love.
To know where we are going because we know who we are. To see each moment as precious. To make not just a living, but a life — a life worth living, and a life worth loving.
Shabbat Shalom and Shanah Tova!
-Rabbi Dan
| 
