As we enter a 40-day period of introspection that culminates with Yom Kippur, we should look inward towards our soul, before we try to fix the world, our country and our families. Rav Yitz Greenberg describes this process as tikkun haadam, the fixing of ourselves. This process is based on the foundational concept that we are created in the image of God. We are blessed with the inherent potential to be like God, to (re)build and (re)recreate. If we can truly fix ourselves, we might be able to make larger changes.
Some argue that human beings are actually small and lowly, while others feel that we can live with gadlut … the greatness that allows us to change, rebuild and ultimately bring order to the chaos. May we all truly believe we are created in God’s image.
