I read the following text yesterday morning, and I thought that it was especially suitable for the month of Elul, which is just around the corner. I read it again after Sagi Muki's victory in the Judo World Championship, and I thought that it was very suitable also to Sagi's perseverance, devotion and spirit. Rabbi Eyal Vered writes as follows:
"The word 'today' is the word that appears in the Book of Deuteronomy the greatest number of times. In this week's Torah Portion's opening verse, this word is especially prominent: 'ראה, אנוכי נותן לפניכם היום ברכה וקללה'. See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse. See, I've given you the possibility to start anew. When? Today. It doesn't matter what happened already, in what you failed already. Today is a different day, and you can start differently today. Choice is our ability to see our lives as divided into days, each of which stands alone. It is precisely when we understand that each and every single day is meaningful and important - that we can achieve great things. The first blessings in the Morning Blessings of the Shacharit service is the blessing of הנותן לשכווי בינה להבחין בין יום ובין לילה (Blessed is He Who gives the rooster the insight to distinguish day from night). We mention here the difference between night and day. A new day rises up, the sun is shining, and on this day I am free to choose and to start again. We need insight and understanding to notice that. The biggest thieves of today are yesterday and tomorrow. The illusion that today is like tomorrow and like yesterday should be shattered. Every day is a one time occurrence."
Have a good day!
