Zebra Question

By Shel Silverstein

I asked the zebra

Are you black with white stripes?

Or white with black stripes?

And the zebra asked me,

Or you good with bad habits?

Or are you bad with good habits?

Are you noisy with quiet times?

Or are you quiet with noisy times?

Are you happy with some sad days?

Or are you sad with some happy days?

Are you neat with some sloppy ways?

Or are you sloppy with some neat ways?

And on and on and on and on

And on and on he went.

I’ll never ask a zebra

About stripes

Again.
 

In a few days, we will be gathering together as a community to enter in to the Yamim Noraim, the days of Awe.  I look forward to seeing the sanctuary filled with people, to the familiar melodies and the conversations about teshuva, change and some of the issues which we have encountered over the past year.  I am sure that there is so much on our minds; politics, environmental issues, the many societal ills, not to mention the endless improvements we hope to make in our own lives and relationships. It is easy to get overwhelmed.

It is important to remember that the goal of these days is not necessarily to fully change ourselves, or even to begin to change the world.  We should walk into this experience with high hopes, and we should be given the strength to make very real improvements in our lives.  Yet, Teshuva, turning, is not about making ourselves into something that we are not, but to simply turn back to the most true and authentic version of what we already know.  

There are always things that we can do better, and always more parts of ourselves that we need to fix.  But, turning is more than just fixing. It is finding a way to clear off the dust, to put aside some of the baggage built up over the past year which has prevented us from living up to our full potential.  When we can do this, we may find that what is left is what we know we should be. 

There is a great story which reminds us of this vision.

The story is told of Zusha, the great Chassidic master, who lay crying on his deathbed. His students asked him, “Rebbe, why are you so sad? After all the mitzvahs and good deeds you have done, you will surely get a great reward in heaven!”

“I’m afraid!” said Zusha. “Because when I get to heaven, I know God’s not going to ask me ‘Why weren’t you more like Moses?’ or ‘Why weren’t you more like King David?’ But I’m afraid that God will ask ‘Zusha, why weren’t you more like Zusha?’ And then what will I say?!”

I truly hope that each one of us can take these holidays seriously.  Enjoy the familiar melodies, take pleasure from spending time with family and friends, but also leave time for your own path of teshuva, of turning. Whether sitting in community, or doing the deepest of personal reflection, let us all find the path that leads back to what we all know so well–ourselves.