Shadows are Cast by Light

          On the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I began my first ever formal Jewish-religious education. I open this passage with the shadows of 2,000 lost lives, to proclaim a valid point: Hitler tried wiping us out. We made a state and now thrive. Terrorism rages in this country of Jewish warriors and victims. And as we are bombed and bombarded by a constant state of fear by these terrorists, we stand strong. I was in third grade when the towers fell. I remember the atmosphere. The fear in my father's eyes. The worry in my mother's. Now, in the heart of the Middle East, I'm fighting terrorism by living, and living in Jerusalem, and living as a Jew, and as living as an American with ideals of democracy and freedom. In the shadows cast by 9/11, the dust has settled, and the light shines through. I start my religious education in the face of terrorism and fear. The Jewish people have made it through all these things, after all, America was attacked because they supported the State of Israel and held democratic ideals. Now, in the dawn of my religious education, I am excited to say I have been captured by beautiful words of peace and self-worth, self-improvement and responsibility.

     As I'd like to get to sleep so I'm not drifting off during class tomorrow, I have one additional point I heard today that may very well sum up the rest of my year. Hashem wanted to give us everything he could, like chessed (kindness), and created us for his malchus (Kingship). But instead of being created in B'tzelem Elohim (in Gd's image) we are created merely in his likeness, because the one thing he couldn't create us with, was self-creation (like Hashem's self-creation). However, he wanted to give us all his qualities so badly, he has created our potential godliness. As in, we can never create ourselves, but we have the potential to elevate ourselves and "re-create" ourselves giving us everything Gd had wanted for us, including potential B'tzelem Elohim. This may be an extremely confusing religious concept, and many of my friends and family reading this may be neither Jewish, nor Religious, nor interested in this concept, but the reason I mention this after one of my first days in class is to point out the month of Elul is where the Jewish New Year falls and the beginning of my classes take place. This month (if your Jewish or not) is simply one more month you can elevate yourself and re-create yourself to heights and levels which you may have never reached before. This month is the beginning of much-to-come growth and change, but it is also another month for my friends and family to take opportunities they may have never thought of taking, or reforming themselves in ways that will make them a more conscience person.