The essence of life is growth and progress, as we strive to fulfill our true purpose. And as we explained in our previous article, the only way we can genuinely change, transform, and evolve is if we have the capacity to assert our inner will and to create a new reality within ourselves. This requires a complete re-creation of self within our consciousness — a remolding of our inner world. While yesterday we were the type of person who did one thing, today a new decision is formed and a new reality is created within our inner world.

It was a stormy night, and a battleship was on exercise at sea. The captain stood on the bridge, peering into the foggy night ahead. Suddenly, he heard the lookout shout from the observation post, “There’s a light on the starboard side!”

There’s a story of two elderly men who had been childhood friends but had not seen each other in many years. One day, they ran into each other on the street and were delighted to recognize one another. One of them lived in the area, so he invited the other into his home. They happily caught each other up on their lives, getting lost in their stories and jokes as the day went on. The guest finally noticed that it had become dark outside, so he asked his friend if he had the time.

Nothing in life is an accident. In Parashas Va’eschanan, we read about the Arei Miklat, the cities of refuge for those who unintentionally killed. This parashah usually falls out immediately following Tishah B’Av and, consequently, shortly before Elul.