We are all running, but where are we running to?

After a few weeks of monologuing the divrei Torah I decided to try something interactive.

We spoke about Sara Imeinu and how Rashi says that her years were all equally good. Upon further inspection however, we find that her life wasnt exactly easy. She couldn't have children and watched her maidservant give birth before her. She was kidnapped twice and finally lived to see her only son get shechted (almost). What did it mean that all her years were equally good? The Rav explains that while she had the exuberance and energy as a child throughout her life she similarly maintained a level of maturity about life's decisions with the accuracy and farsightedness of an elderly person. (main idea seen on YUTorah.org, Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb)

We are always running around here trying to fulfill our various and multitudinous obligations. Sometimes we forget about our goals and end up just running but when we get there we realize that this is not at all the place we wanted to be at when we were in yeshiva and idealistic.

To combat this challenge we did an activity that I had seen on an MTA freshman retreat. Its a simple game that really makes you think. i handed out pens and index cards and told everybody to imagine that they were 35 years old. Then I asked the following questions:

1. Are you married?

2. How many kids do you have?

3. Jow involved in the Jewish Community are you?

4. How much time does Torah occupy in your day?

Next we imagined that we were 50 years old and answered these questions:

1. Are you happy?

2. What is your place in your family/community?

3. What accomplishment are you most proud of?

4. What do you most regret?

5. If you could do it all over again what would you change?

Obviously, Hashem doesn't give up on anybody and the Gemara in Brachos says that one should Daven to Hashem for Rachmanos even when the sword is on one's throat or until the last shovelful of dirt on one's coffin. Nevertheless there are phases in life where change is very difficult if not impossible. We did this exercise to step back and take an inventory of where we are headed in life. At this point we can still change the direction we are headed in.

Changing paths is very difficult but sometimes very necessary. הצלחה רבה in recognizing the אמת and taking the necessary steps to improve.