We are not born in sin, we are not born sinners.

The Al Cheyt confessions  of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur reassure us that we are not born in sin, we are not born sinners. The catalog of sins we recite speaks of the qualities of being a good person, a mensch! The nature of our sinfulness lies in failing to live up to the standards of behavior that God expects of us.  “Cheyt” in our Jewish Tradition means missing the mark. 

Think of the  archery target of concentric circles.  The goal of the archer is to hit the target with the arrow, ideally in the  center circle of the target. Not hitting the target is often described as missing the mark. And that expression, ‘missing the mark’,  is the traditional Jewish notion of Cheyt. 

This photograph, from a horse farm outside Buenos Aires, shows a caballero, a horseman, practicing a traditional Argentinian sport.  He is attempting to place a stick into the target, a hanging circle, while at full gallop. The image  is entitled “Missing the mark.” 

The image suggests the collaboration of body and soul. The horse is the body, the horseman is the soul.  Successfully hitting the mark requires both body and soul acting as one. A Jewish source relates: “The body is a tool given by God for sacred work and should be treated with care, respect, and protection. The soul is the seat of all feelings and desires, both physical and spiritual."

There is another layer to our understanding of the Al Cheyt confessions and the combined effectiveness of body and soul working in tandem. In addition to striving to be a mensch in our relationship with others, Judaism teaches us the importance of a positive perspective on life. 

We could add to our confessions such expressions as: “Ve-Al Cheyt, for missing the mark in our failure to cherish individuality. Ve-Al Cheyt, for missing the mark in our failure to be creative enough to seek out new possibilities. Ve-Al Cheyt, for missing the mark in our failure to enrich ourselves through exposure to different cultures, including the vast and varied Jewish historical experiences."

Keeping this in mind, as we go forward into the New Year, let us say lechayim to life - to cherish and build on our God-given individual uniqueness.

Let us say lechayim to life - to add new experiences to our lives.

Let us say lechayim to life -to expand our appreciation of God’s universe.

Let us say lechayim to life!