A Closer Look

Rosie Rosenbaum, Chicago, posted at Quarles & Brady LLP,

"Jewish high holiday services sometimes are lengthy, and a tale is told of a congregation's rabbi noticing that one of the children in his congregation is staring up at a large plaque hanging in the synagogue's foyer. The plague covered with names, and small American flags were mounted on either side of it. Observing the child has been staring at the plaque for some time, the rabbi walked up, stood beside the boy, and said quietly, 'Good morning, Adam.' 'Good morning,' replies Adam, 'Rabbi, what is this?' 'Well, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.' Soberly, they stood together, staring at the large plaque. Little Adam's voice was barely audible when he asked: 'The Rosh Hashanah or the Yom Kippur service?'

"If it is true that, 'The unexamined life is not worth living,' (thanks, Socrates!) then -- whether high holiday services go by quickly or slowly -- the celebration cycle serves as an annual opportunity to consciously 'take stock' of one's personal trajectory in life."