Back to Routine
At the conclusion of Shabbat Bereishit, it is customary to quote the verse, “And Jacob went on his way.”
More than anything, this Motzaei Shabbat symbolizes the return to a routine. It is like the time when an active businessman returns home after spending a month on the road.
For an entire month, we have immersed ourselves in prayer, in repentance, in spiritual elevation, and in drawing bucketfuls of spiritual blessings and Divine inspiration. We were, in a sense, several inches above the ground, “floating” in a world of holiness and purity and completely detached from our ordinary, dreary daily routines.
Now, with these holy days behind us, we must return to the norm and to our ordinary routines. Let us take advantage of all that we have gained during this month and use the Divine blessings we have reaped to bring about practical changes in our lives for the coming year. Let us resolve to conduct ourselves properly in our dealings with others, to express love for all of our fellow Jews, to honor our parents, and, of course, to invest more time and effort in the areas that define our relationship with G-d: praying with a minyan, setting times for Torah study, and observing all of the precepts of the holy Torah.
