The basis for Judaism and its value system can be summed up in one word: accountability. The gift of freedom of choice and action that God has granted to humans comes, as do most gifts, with a price. And that price is that all of us are completely accountable for our actions and behavior.
We each have an account sheet, so to speak, with columns for credits and debits. How our lifetime account sheet looks eventually determines our fate and our eternity. But there are temporary stock-taking times as well. The Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are such times. We pass in review, individually and without cover or pretense, before the Heavenly Court to have the account sheet examined.
The message of the Holy Days is a clear one. We are held accountable for our past deeds as well as for our budding intents. As responsible individuals our account sheet is of vital importance in determining our true- life status and future. Just as all publicly held firms must produce an annual report attested to by reputable accounting firms, so too during this season of the year we individually publish our own annual report; and it is attested to by the Heavenly Court that is aware of all of our thoughts and actions.
One of the Ills of current society is its acceptance of unlimited freedom of choice and behavior coupled with its refusal to hold people answerable to the results of this uninhibited freedom. Another hallmark of our society is the inability to admit error in previous decisions, policies and behavior. No one is held accountable for all the colossal mistakes of past centuries. The moral and spiritual bankruptcy of Jewish organizations and individuals who fled from Torah and tradition is evident to all by now, but many of them- those still in existence, continue on their merry way as though there was no past to reexamine, no future to contemplate. But the law of accountability allows for no exceptions; eventually it overtakes everyone.
This pattern should be apparent to anyone with even rudimentary knowledge of the story of Israel throughout the ages. The parshiyot read in the synagogue during this season concern themselves almost exclusively with this idea of culpability- of reward and punishment, and the aspects of the covenant of Sinai between God and Israel. The Torah declares that this “covenant shall respond to them even till the end of days.” In a covenant – a contractual agreement – each side is held to its agreed upon terms and conditions. We are bound to our e, and the Lord, so to speak, states that He also is bound to His commitments. Accountability is the key to the entire covenantal experience and challenge.
One should feel that one is answerable not only to God, and to one’s fellow human beings, but perhaps most importantly to one’s own self. The primary questions addressed by Judaism are: “To what purpose is my life worth living? Why am I here? And what is asked of me in this life?” If these questions are never really addressed, or if they are sloughed off and defined in purely material or monetary terms, obviously life has little meaning. If there is no deep meaning, no accountability for our behavior can ever arise in our minds and hearts.
For life to have any sense of purpose, sincere goals must resonate within each person. And that resonance must inevitability lead to a realization of the imperative of accountability in our lives. This is why the prayers of the Holy Days stress not only God’s greatness and man’s relative puniness, but also the coming to terms of each with past deeds as well as future aspirations. True teshuvah – repentance- requires this simultaneous look backwards and forwards.
Rigorous accountability helps us formulate a meaningful plan for our goals and aspirations in life. It allows us to age and mature gracefully and it creates the proper backdrop for our future actions. It is the ultimate blessing in our lives.
Written by Rabbi Berel Wein ZT”L in 2020 in his book "In My Opinion."
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