In the midst of Elul

In this week’s parsha, Ki Teitzei, we are told:

Lo yoom-tu avot al banim, u’banim lo yoom-tu al avot asher b’chet-oh, yoom-to

“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin (Deuteronomy 24:16).”

This verse completely contradicts the third commandment which states:

“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, Adonai your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me…” (Exodus 20:4-5)

Rashbam deals with this inconsistency by saying that God only punishes the children, when the children continue to emulate the sinful ways of their parents.

But in the month of Elul, it is not the sins of our parents that we concern ourselves with. It’s our own sins. We are supposed to spend this month creating draft upon draft our own cheshbon ha’nefesh, an accounting of our own souls, our own mistakes that we hope will be forgiven.

For us, in this month, we don’t focus on the sins of those who preceded us in on the family tree. Rather, we focus on the person who preceded the one we are today, who each and every one of us has become. We all become our own parents, our own children, hoping to avoid the punishment we may or may not have earned with earlier sins.

And we have a choice, we can either repeat our sins, again and again, and suffer consequences three or four times harsher than what might be proportional, or, we can learn from those sins… grow from them… ask for forgiveness and ensure that our future is one of justice and righteousness.

Today is only the 7th day of Elul. We have another 22 to go; 22 days before Rosh Hashanah; which gives us, gives you, 22 days to make that decision. Which will you choose? Will the effects of the sins of your earlier-self echo through to who you are today? Or will you find a way to move on, move past your sins, and ensure a better future for the person you could become tomorrow?