September 21, 2022 It is so good to pray together in whatever way we can. For those of us who prayed at Makom in person this past Shabbat, hopefully the evening drive went smoothly. Recently while driving on a nice long straight- away, I noticed a car behind me, weaving in and out of lanes in order to pass. Eventually, this car came up directly behind me. When I stopped for a red light I was very aware that this other car came dangerously close to my car. When the light turned green, it was clear that my car, and all the cars in front of us were not going fast enough to this driver's liking. The driver found a way to squeeze into the right lane but unfortunately for him, that lane was also crowded and also became a moving roadblock. For a few minutes I had this car in my peripheral vision. I couldn't help but notice the license plate. It looked to read "STRNGOOD." It seemed to represent a shortened version of "STRONG GOOD." My first thought was "Someone trying to be stronger than others, trying to run other people out of the way? What kind of strength is that?" Then a couple of minutes later, I found myself behind this car at a red light. Now I could clearly see the license plate, which actually read "SIGNGOD", which could mean "Sign God", or “Sign from God”. Oh, that was ironic - a sign from God from another driver rushing around endangering themselves and others! Could it have been a sign from God that we rush around dangerously? That couldn't be... So what sign was the Holy One of Blessing trying to give me in that moment? What blessing could I wrestle from those harrowing and frustrating moments on the road? It was so easy to focus on this driver’s dangerous actions, and even make the driver himself wrong. But then I remembered a wise reaching from my Rabbi, Rabbi Jonathan Kligler: “We never know what's going on with people.” I THINK I know. But I don’t. I started to wonder, maybe someone is ill, and this person needs to get to a loved one's emergency or bedside. Maybe they planned their time poorly, as I sometimes do. All the while, it was possible the driver was being absorbed with "self", Perhaps the "Sign from God" was to give the benefit of the doubt. There's actually a Talmudic term for this - Dan L'kaf ZeChut. And it's a mitzvah! Yes, giving the benefit of the doubt is actually a mitzvah. Maybe, just maybe, the sign was to remember it's the month of Elul. This month of Elul, preceding Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, is NOT the month of pointing out what’s wrong with other people. Rather, after this month of introspection, on Kol Nidre, we will stand together with all those who drive dangerously close to us, and with those who offend us in a myriad of ways. Elul is about looking at ourselves, asking where we can be better. When judgment arises like it did about that driver, can we look inward to witness our part? In those moments of experiencing the dangerous driving of another person, I became critical and my mood immediately shifted. I completely forgot about loving my neighbor as myself. I completely forgot about giving the benefit of the doubt. I also momentarily forgot that sometimes I, too, can get impatient and try to find ways to get around traffic (albeit safely- or so I like to think!) What are the "God Signs" in your life? Might they be there to remind us to give the benefit of the doubt? Or that perhaps we also do similar things, the very actions we judge harshly? We choose how to see the experiences and signs around us. Even when we are surrounded by a situation where another person doesn’t seem to be respectful, helpful, or even safe, can we use this powerful season of introspection to be the people we want to have around us? What is your "God Sign" calling you to be? Of what critique of others is your “God Sign” calling you to let go? As we travel the road of Elul, look for the gifts, the messages your soul wants you to see. Safe and happy "travels" on your journey! Rabbi JudiAhavah PS While Elul is the month where we concentrate on returning to and being our best selves, it’s also traditional to examine our soul each night with the Bedtime Shema. Talmud (Brachot) tells us we should return, do teshuva, one day before death. But how can we know when the day of your death will come? Therefore, we return (some read as repent) each night. https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/359559?lang=bi https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/bedtime -shema/