The Missed Kick

Sep 8th, 2010 by Rabbi Simcha Weinberg in Holidays, Prayer

2 Comments

Missing a kick

at the icebox door

It closed anyway.

“Missing a Kick” from Book of Haikus by Jack Kerouac

There is an unspoken thought on many minds as we approach Rosh Hashanah; “will the door close even if my kick is off mark?” How much will my efforts impact the Rosh Hashanah judgment? Do I really have the ability to shape my future? Will I have a better year if I pray well? Will my year be ruined if I do not pray well? If my mind wanders during just one of the prayers, will my year be that much less good? Will my year be worse because of a single missed kick?

We want to know that we can influence our future. We do not want to know that a single missed prayer can limit that future. We want the power, but not necessarily the responsibility.

I do not have proof, but I believe that the very first judgment of Rosh Hashanah is that our ability to impact the judgment is determined by our choice of degree of power and responsibility. If I approach God in the initial moments of Rosh Hashanah as a person who chooses to accept that his prayers will influence the judgment to the extent that a single missed prayer will weaken his year, will be granted extraordinary power and responsibility.

A person who wants to influence his judgment, but without the responsibility of the “Missed Kick,” will be granted influence but not the power to shape.

The person who fears or denies even the ability to influence his judgment will be judged without any input. No responsibility. No power.

We have an important choice in the very first moments of Rosh Hashanah; do we accept responsibility for the “Missed Kick,” or, do we prefer that the icebox door will close anyway?

Author Info:
Learn & discover the Divine prophecies with Rabbi Simcha Weinberg from the holy Torah, Jewish Law, Mysticism, Kabbalah and Jewish Prophecies. The Foundation Stone™ is the ultimate resource for Jews, Judaism, Jewish Education, Jewish Spirituality & the holy Torah.

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2 Comments

• Sheryl Sep 12, 2010 at 9:28 pm

  What an awesome idea. I find the truth in the system described to be exciting. So worth it, so real, so scary, but who wouldn’t want the intensity and intimacy with G-d?
• moshe stepansky Sep 14, 2010 at 8:52 pm

  These are 3 Torahs I had the privilege to hear from Rav Amital ob”m that may connect to the above:

  1.”Everybody’s going around asking “Mah yih’yeh?Mah yih’yeh?”,What’s gonna be?What’s gonna be? ==>”Va’Ani omeir-Yih’yeh tov, b’Ezrat HaShem”And I say-Things will be good, with G-d’s help.

  2.”A talmid in our yeshiva approached me one day and asked me:Rav Amital, what should I do-I find that during davenning,my mind wanders and I have all these outside thoughts? I responded”What, you expect every t’fillah to be perfect. I am happy when once in a great while I have a focused davenning.”

  3.’When Ya’akov Avinu wished to reveal the End to his children – it was concealed from him’-Rav Amital said that although the particulars of the redemption were occluded from him,Ya’akov was still able to impart a crucial message
  to them -that THERE WILL BE A REDEMPTION!!

  I would like to juxtapose these elements,perhaps in reverse order:
  1.I may not know how to connect to G-d =>but I know there is always HOPE to make that connection.
  2.Striving for that connection is the key, irrespective of whether I manage to fire on all cylinders. In fact, Chassidut emphasizes that one should not be too sure about how ‘close’ you are to G-d; for invariably the closer you think you are-more likely-you’re not as close as you think you are!
  Humility is a good ingredient in serving G-d.
  3.Another pathway in Chassidut suggests that even our initiative in reaching out to connect to G-d (‘It’aruta dil’tata) is sparked by G-d’s infinite kindness ==>G-d instills within us the capacity to desire to reach out to connect.
  That joins with the Talmudic saying that if we make an opening the size of a pinprick -G-d will widen that minute opening to cosmic proportions.The Kotzker says “Where is G-d?Wherever you let Him into”. We’re always trying ‘to do it all’. The upshot of what our Sages are trying to tell us is that if we try to connect to G-d by allowing Him into our lives- we can actually let Him do the heavy lifting.

  If we open our hearts to be a fulcrum of existence-one small opening can move the world, with G-d’s help.

  Conversely, it is important to remember the immortal words of The Seer of Lublin ” When G-d is opening Gates, we’re allowed to push them open even wider”!!

  And I’d like to addthat if we open Gates for each other-the impact of our prayers expands exponentially.