Translation by Yehoshua Siskin
Excuse me, but have you already imagined what you will be like next Rosh HaShanah? It so happens that this is exactly what someone claimed to be our task this Rosh HaShanah. Not only to look backwards on the past year, but mainly to look forward towards the next year. To think about exactly what we want from ourselves, in every area of life.
This practical and intriguing challenge was presented by Rabbi Kalonymous
Kalman Shapira, zt"l, the Admor (Hasidic rebbe) from Piaseczno. He was murdered during the Holocaust and left behind a wonderful educational legacy. He suggests that on Rosh HaShanah we consider where we want to be next Tishrei, evaluate the distance to get there, and do the following:
“If you desire to serve HaShem and to elevate yourself, and not to be in the same place at the age of seventy as you were on your Bar Mitzvah, do this: Every year, set a goal for yourself. If your name is Reuven, for example, imagine which Reuven you will be a year from now -- his achievements, his service of God, his character traits and everything else about him a year from now. Measure yourself against this imaginary Reuven throughout the year, what you lack in comparison to him. Strive so that your service of God and personal refinement on a daily basis will be sufficient to meet the goals – one year from now -- of the Reuven you wish to be.”
Everyone is invited to imagine who they want to be a year from now.
