Over 100 years ago, a newspaper in Oslo, Norway, wrote an obituary for Alfred Nobel. The problem was that Alfred Nobel was not dead. Alfred’s brother was the one that had died. So, Alfred Nobel had the unique opportunity to read his obituary. All the obituary contained was the following, “Alfred Nobel – The Creator of Dynamite.”
After reading this, he decided that he wanted to be known for more than this. Therefore, a year before his eventual death, he endowed a $9 million fund in his will to be given as awards for people whose work benefited humanity. This award would be later known as the Nobel Prize. First awarded in 1901, the Nobel Prize continues to be the most distinguished award in the world.
Most of us will never have the opportunity to read our obituaries. Nevertheless, the introspection that these High Holy Days provide allows us to ask ourselves, “What do we want people to say about us after we leave this world?”
One of the beautiful High Holy Day prayers we will recite this year is:
“Areshet Sefatanynu ye’erav lefaneha ...”
“May the prayers of our lips be pleasing to You, O God ...”
Rabbi Sidney Greenberg, may his memory be for a blessing, adds the following line to this ancient prayer:
“May the prayers of our lips be pleasing to You, O God, because they remind us of what You expect of us and because they challenge us to become all that we are capable of being.”
Are we challenging ourselves to be all we are capable of being? Even in the face of a pandemic, are we living our lives to our fullest potential? To answer these questions, can we honestly evaluate our lives, our possibilities, and our commitment to our Torah, our People, our God, and ourselves. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur allow each of us to make this critical evaluation. When we do this, we can then honestly answer the question, “What do we want people to say about us after we leave this world?”
May the New Year of 5781 provide us the answers.
L’Shanah Tovah,
Rabbi Brian Strauss
Senior Rabbi
Congregation Beth Yeshurun
