Will You Remain the Same Person After Yamim Noraim

Notice, how the most serious Tefila of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, which talks about the fact we are being judged for: מִּ י יִּחְּ יֶה וּמִּ י יָּמוּת who will live, and who will die, etc. ends off with: וּמִּ י יָּרוּם who will become exalted and great and Shteig and go upwards! After all those morbid ways of dying: מִּ י בַ מַ יִּם. וּמִּ י בָּ אֵּׂ שׁ. מִּ י בַ חֶ רֶ ב. וּמִּ י בַ חַ יָּה. מִּ י בָּ רָּ עָּ ב. וּמִּ י בַ צָּ מָּ א. מִּ י בָּ רַ עַ שׁ. וּמִּ י בַ מַ גֵּׂפָּ ה. מִּ י בַ חֲ נִּ יקָּ ה. וּמִּ י בַ סְּ קִּ ילָּ ה who by water, who by fire, etc. the last concern is: מִּ י י רוּם will I become great or not!

The Alter of Novardok Zatzal says that the worst: ז ְּג ְּרְּד ְּין heavenly decree on a person is that he remains the same person after Yamim Nora’im. Of course, in our Dor this isn’t simple at all. But it’s still a big Inyan to hope and aspire to greatness, and to take it as seriously as a life-or-death issue.