I asked an older friend/mentor for ideas about how to approach Elul this year, and she suggested that I learn about the basics of Elul and Rosh Hashanah from a sefer. She pointed out — and I have also seen — that learning about the things we did when we were younger, as adults, gives us an entirely new understanding and depth to familiar ideas.
As we talked about this, I realized that learning in general is missing from my life. The past few years I’d say I have focused more on bein adam l’atzmo and bein adam l’chaveiro in different ways, but not in simply learning words of Torah. In thinking about what to focus on as a general direction for the new year, I thought it would be a good idea to work on making a habit of learning. My friend suggested starting with Kitzur Shulchan Aruch or Sefer Hatodaah on the Yomim Noraim, and beyond that to think about seforim like Rav Pincus’s series on the Yomim Tovim, or seforim on the parsha, or perhaps (my thought) Nach Yomi. I think keeping it simple is actually best for me, as the goal is to facilitate a learning habit.
I’m looking forward to making this a goal for 5784. I’ll keep you posted!
