30 Days, 30 Questions
| Date | Question | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Av Fri-Sat 11-Aug |
Zusya, with tears in his eyes, once told his students; “I have learned that the angels will not ask me, Why weren’t you a Moses or a Joshua? They will say to me, ‘Zusya, why weren’t you Zusya?’” [Tales of the Hasidim by Martin Buber] Are you the best you? |
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| 1 Elul Sat-Sun 12-Aug |
Am I satisfied with where and how I spend my time? <\strong> |  |
| 2 Elul Sun-Mon 13-Aug |
Where are you?
[Genesis 3:9 – the first question God ever asked of a human being] |
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| 3 Elul Mon-Tues 14-Aug |
What new choices do I wish to make for the year ahead? |  |
| 4 Elul Tues-Wed 15-Aug |
Who do you think you are? |  |
| 5 Elul Wed-Thurs 16-Aug |
What talents was I endowed with and for what purpose?
What is my mission here on earth? |
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| 6 Elul Thurs-Fri 17-Aug |
What am I made of? |  |
| 7 Elul Fri-Sat 18-Aug |
Do I take time to know myself and track my own development, or am I on autopilot?
Am I a true advocate for the best that is in me? |
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| 8 Elul Sat-Sun 19-Aug |
Is there something beyond myself that I am living for?
What is my life devoted to? How can I act on my true priorities now? |
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| 9 Elul Sun-Mon 20-Aug |
If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am (only) for myself, what am I? And if not now, when? [Hillel, Pirkei Avot 1:14] In other words: am I in balance? |
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| 10 Elul Mon-Tues 21-Aug |
Based on: What is humanity, that You (G-d), remember us? What is a human, that You consider us? [Psalms 8:5] What can I offer as God’s partner? |
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| 11 Elul Tues-Wed 22-Aug |
When being led in for Judgment (after death), a person is asked: Did you negotiate business honestly? Did you set fixed times for Torah? Did you concern yourself with ‘being fruitful and multiplying’? Did you hope for salvation? Did you engage in the dialectics of wisdom? Did you come to understand how one thing leads to another? [Rav, Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 31a] |
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| 12 Elul Wed-Thurs 23-Aug |
A human being will have to give account (in heaven) for all that his eye beheld and he did not consume.
[Jerusalem Talmud Kiddushin 4:12] Life is a gift, are you enjoying it? |
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| 13 Elul Thurs-Fri 24-Aug |
Why me? Why not me? (Both are valid questions) |
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| 14 Elul Fri-Sat 25-Aug |
The question is not ‘can I?’, but ‘how can I?’ and ‘what support do I need?’ |
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| 15 Elul Sat-Sun 26-Aug |
Am I my brother’s keeper?
[Genesis 4:9] Who is my brother (sister) and what does it mean to be his/her “keeper”? |
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| 16 Elul Sun-Mon 27-Aug |
Are you making/taking particular time to focus on the really important things as opposed to the silly things of daily life? |  |
| 17 Elul Mon-Tues 28-Aug |
Do you plan to draw near to G-d during the coming year?
Do you have a plan for how? |
 |
| 18 Elul Tues-Wed 29-Aug |
What do I need to do so that Judaism can make me a better person? |  |
| 19 Elul Wed-Thurs 30-Aug |
Who are my heroes? How can I emulate them in a way that is true to myself? |
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| 20 Elul Thurs-Fri 31-Aug |
in what areas and ways will you ‘step out of your comfort zone’ during this new year? |  |
| 21 Elul Fri-Sat 1-Sep |
How will you ask for forgiveness from others? |  |
| 22 Elul Sat-Sun 2-Sep |
How will you ask for forgiveness from yourself? |  |
| 23 Elul Sun-Mon 3-Sep |
How will you expand your expressions of gratitude this year? |  |
| 24 Elul Mon-Tues 4-Sep |
In what ways have you bettered the world this past year? |  |
| 25 Elul Tues-Wed 5-Sep |
What legacy are you creating? |  |
| 26 Elul Wed-Thurs 6-Sep |
What are you doing to invest in your relationships? |  |
| 27 Elul Thurs-Fri 7-Sep |
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? |  |
| 28 Elul Fri-Sat 8-Sep |
What new endeavors will I add this coming year; what are the things that I will ‘let go’ going forward? |  |
| 29 Elul Sat-Sun 9-Sep |
‘If you are not a better person tomorrow than you are today, what need have you for a tomorrow?’
[Rebbe Nachman of Breslov] |
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With thanks for inspiration to: Jewels of Elul, Rabbi Debra Orenstein,
and respondents to 49 Days 49 Voices