Rabbi Irwin Wiener, D.D.
In ancient writings we are taught that a person will be called to account on Judgment Day for every permissible thing that he might have enjoyed but did not. Not for sins or destructive attitudes or not following God’s commandments, but for not enjoying life as it was intended. Think about it—we concentrate on the punishment we supposedly will receive for the evil we perform, and yet we are also told that our only punishment will be for not enjoying children, or parents, or loved ones, or the beauty of trees and flowers—the smells of the seasons.
Some of us think about what could or should have been and get stuck in the mire of things we cannot do anything about. We can’t change the past and, in some instances, have no control over the future. We think that things happen because they are ordained, as if some mystical power was dictating our destiny.
So here we are in the twilight of our years and still worried about what might have been or if I had it to do all over, I would …. Our concentration should be about the legacy we leave, the impact we have, and the beauty of the time left. The past is gone—the future is just ahead.
Our concentration, perhaps, should be about what we can leave—what impact can we have—what value is there to the life ahead? We are approaching a significant moment in time as we begin to concentrate on forgiveness and redemption (Easter and Passover). It is a time for rejoicing. It is a time to take stock and realize that we still have life, even as we age. It is a time for us to realize that life has been good. There are rough roads ahead as we venture into uncharted waters. Some of us will celebrate milestones. Some of us will encounter turbulence. Some of us will realize that the journey of life includes all that we are capable of enduring.
There is the story of the elderly man who was planting trees in his backyard. A neighbor asked him why he was planting the trees, because for sure he would not be there to see them grow. His reply was very simple. He remarked that the generations that preceded him had planted the trees that now give him shade and fruit and enjoyment, and it was his responsibility to plant for the next generation, as did the generations past.
The legacy we leave is everlasting. The memory of who we were will resonate for eternity. Death is not the end of our journey but just another part of that journey.
Sometimes we concentrate too much on the end and not enough on the middle. Some of us are concerned about eternal life and not enough about the life we are living. Some of us are concerned with eternal reward and not about the rewards we encounter every day.
Faith does not require us to concentrate on death, but rather life.
So, as we get ready for the next leg of our journey, let us remember that those days are there to rejoice in the fulfillment of enjoying our lives, for that is the message of the ages—the message encased in the wisdom of the ages—that Judgment will be based on the satisfaction we receive in living life to the fullest.